UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


LV  Sewion.  No.  831. 


LELAND  AND  EMPIRE  HARBORS,  MICHIGAN. 

29J939  State 

LETTER  <rf  Washington 

Library 

THE  ACTING  SECRETARY  OF  WAR, 

TRANSMITTING, 

WITH  A  LETTER  FROM  THE  ACTING  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS,  RE- 
PORTS ON  EXAMINATION  OF  LELAND  AND  EMPIRE  HARBORS, 
MICHIGAN,  AND  SURVEY  OF  THE  LATTER. 


MARCH  31,  1910. — Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and  Harbors  and  ordered  to 

be  printed. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
Washington,  March  SO,  1910. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  letter  from  the  Acting 
Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army,  of  this  date,  together  with  copies  of 
reports  from  Maj .  Charles  Keller,  Corps  of  Engineers,  dated  Septem- 
ber 22,  1909,  on  preliminary  examination  of  Empire  and  Lelana  har- 
bors, Michigan,  and  January  17,  1910,  on  survey  of  Empire  Harbor, 
made  by  him  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  river  and  harbor 
act  of  March  3,  1909. 

Very  respectfully,  ROBERT  SHAW  OLIVER, 

Acting  Secretary  of  War. 

The  SPEAKER  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
OFFICE  OF  THE  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS, 

Washington,  March  30, 1910. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith,  for  transmission  to 
Congress,  reports  by  Maj .  Charles  Keller,  Corps  of  Engineers,  dated 
September  22,  1909,  on  preliminary  examination  of  Empire  and 
Leland  harbors,  Michigan,  and  January  17,  1910,  on  survey  of  Empire 
Harbor,  called  for  by  the  river  and  harbor  act  approved  March  3,  1909. 
No  work  of  improvement  has  ever  been  done  by  the  General 
Government  at  either  of  these  localities,  which  are  situated  hi  Lee- 

448731 


2  LELAND  AND  EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

lanau  County  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  between  the  im- 
portant commercial  harbors  of  Frankfort  on  the  south  and  Charlevoix 
on  the  north. 

Leland  Harbor,  Michigan.— The  improvement  desired  at  this 
locality  is  the  construction  of  an  outer  harbor  on  Lake  Michigan  for 
the  protection  of  existing  landing  places  and  .to  afford  a  harbor  of  refuge. 
In  the  opinion  of  the  district  ofhcer,  as  expressed  in  his  preliminary 
examination  report,  this  improvement  is  not  justified  by  the  com- 
mercial and  farming  interests  involved,  and  this  opinion  is  concurred 
in  by  the  division  engineer,  the  Board  of  Engineers  for  Rivers  and 
Harbors,  and  by  me. 

Empire  Harbor,  Michigan— The  district  officer  submits  a  plan  for 
improvement  of  this  harbor  by  the,  construction  of  revetment  and 
entrance  piers  about  250  feet  apart,  extending  from  South  Bar  Lake 
to  the  24-foot  contour  in  Lake  Michigan,  and  dredging  the  area 
between  the  revetments  and  piers  to  a  depth  of  18  feet  below  zero, 
at  an  estimated  cost  of  $277,926,  with  $7,000  annually  for  mainte- 
nance. In  addition  there  would  be  required  the  dredging  of  an 
interior  basin  16  feet  deep  in  South  Bar  Lake  and  the  building  of 
suitable  revetments  to  protect  the  banks  of  this  interior  basin  at  an 
estimated  cost  of  $70,170,  with  $2,000  annually  for  maintenance, 
which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  district  officer,  should  be  done  by  local 
interests.  It  appears  that  practically  all  the  commerce  of  the 
locality  is  in  timber,  the 'supply  of  which  being  limited  will  soon  be 
exhausted,  and  in  view  of  the  small  amount  of  other  traffic  the  dis- 
trict officer  states  that  the  improvement  of  Empire  Harbor  is  not 
justified  by  the  commercial  and  other  interests  involved.  The 
division  engineer  concurs  in  this  opinion. 

This  report  has  been  considered  by  the  Board  of  Engineers  for 
Rivers  and  Harbors,  pursuant  to  law,  and  since  there  is  no  prospect 
of  the  development  of  a  commerce  of  a  size  or  character  that  would 
justify  the  expenditure  of  the  amount  estimated  as  necessary  to  con- 
struct a  suitable  harbor,  the  Board  concludes  that  it  is  not  advisable 
for  the  General  Government  to  undertake  the  improvement  of 
Empire  Harbor.  I  concur  in  the  views  of  the  Board. 
Very  respectfully, 

FREDERIC  V.  ABBOT, 
Acting  Chief  of  Engineers. 
The  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. 


PRELIMINARY  EXAMINATION   OF  EMPIRE  AND  LELAND  HARBORS, 

MICHIGAN. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  September  22,  1909. 

SIR:  In  compliance  with  the  directions  of  the  department's  letter 
of  March  8,  1909,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  on 
the  preliminary  examinations  of  Empire  and  Leland  harbors.  These 
examinations  were  directed  by  the  provisions  of  section  13  of  the  act 
of  Congress  of  March  3, 1909,  and  the  item  concerning  them  grouped 
the  two  harbors  as  above.  Accordingly,  a  single  report  is  made  to 
cover  both. 


U5 


LELAND   AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  3 

EMPIRE    HARBOR. 

1.  Empire,  an  incorporated  village  of  about  850  inhabitants,  is 
situated  in  the  southwest  township  of  Leelanau  County  and  on  the 
east  side  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  the  vicinity  of  Empire  Bay.     It  is  about 
13  miles  northwest  of  Point  Betsie,  about  7  miles  south  of  Sleeping 
Bear  Point,  and  about  10  miles  south  of  South  Manitou  Island.     The 
nearest  harbors  of  commercial  importance  are  Frankfort  on  the  south 
and  Charlevoix  on  the  north,  distant,  respectively,  about  18  and  58 
miles.     The  locality  is  shown  on  Lake  Survey  charts  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, Nos.  70  and  71. 

2.  The  two  small  spring-fed   lakes  in  the  vicinity  of  Empire  are 
known  as  North  Bar  Lake  and  South  Bar  Lake;  they  are  about  five- 
eighths  of  a  mile  apart,  the  ground  between  being  high,  wooded,  sand 
hills.     Both  lakes  are  oval  in  shape  with  the  longer  axis  approxi- 
mately parallel  to  the  Lake  Michigan  shore  line. 

North  Bar  Lake  has  an  area  of  about  40  acres,  is  about  3,560 
feet  long,  and  has  a  mean  width  of  about  480  feet.  It  is  separated 
from  Lake  Michigan  by  high,  wooded  sand  hills.  Its  outlet  at  the 
extreme  north  end  is  usually  obstructed  by  a  sand  bar,  causing  the 
level  of  the  water  surface  to  vary  between  that  of  Lake  Michigan  and 
about  2  feet  above  that  level.  Its  banks  are  abrupt  and  a  depth  of 
30  feet  is  said  to  prevail  over  at  least  half  its  area.  At  the  time  of 
this  examination,  July  28  to  30,  the  water  surface  was  about  1^  feet 
above  that  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the  width  of  the  bar  across  the  outlet 
about  30  feet. 

South  Bar  Lake  has  an  area  of  about  80  acres,  is  about  1  mile  long 
with  a  mean  width  of  about  640  feet  and  an  extreme  width,  in  the 
central  portion,  of  about  800  feet.  It  is  separated  from  Lake  Michi- 
gan in  the  southerly  half  by  a  narrow  strip  of  sand  beach  and  in  the 
northerly  half  by  a  range  of  high,  wooded  sand  bluffs.  The  original 
outlet  into  Lake  Michigan  was  located  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake, 
but  for  some  time  past  this  has  been  an  artificial  sluiceway  with  a 
weir,  located  about  1,000  feet  farther  north.  The  weir  maintains 
the  water  surface  of  the  lake  at  about  3  feet  above  that  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. About  925  feet  from  the  south  end  the  lake  is  crossed  by  a 
trestle  bridge,  about  750  feet  long,  which  affords  the  Empire  and 
Southeastern  Railroad  access  to  one  of  its  bridge  piers  on  Lake 
Michigan. 

Soundings  made  July  28,  1909,  along  the  north  side  of  the  bridge, 
show  the  folio  whig  depths  : 


Distances 

Distances 

from  east  end 
of  bridge. 

Soundings. 

from  east  end 
of  bridge. 

Soundings. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

0 

1.0 

300 

12.6 

25 

2.5 

325 

13.4 

50 

4.0 

350 

13.5 

75 

5.0 

375 

14.0 

100 

7.5 

400 

14.0 

125 

8.0 

425 

14.0 

150 

8.3 

450 

14.0 

175 

8.5 

475 

13.5 

200 

10.0 

500 

13.5 

225 

10.8 

525 

12.5 

250 

10.7 

550 

9.0 

275 

12.2 

570 

2.0 

4  LELAND  AND  EMPIKE   HAKBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

The  bottom  of  the  lake  is  of  very  soft  material.  No  trouble  was 
experienced  in  forcing  the  sounding  pole  into  it  4  or  5  feet,  and  in 
places  the  pole  would  sink  over  2  feet,  of  its  own  weight. 

The  portion  of  the  lake  and  its  banks  south  of  the  railroad  bridge 
are  used  for  the  storage  of  logs,  and  the  narrow  stretch  of  beach  on 
the  west  as  a  lumber  yard.  The  north  end  of  the  lake  is  shoal  and 
marshy.  The  southerly  3,560  feet  of  the  lake  is  within  the  corporate 
limits  of  the  village. 

A  sketch  °  showing  the  relative  position  of  the  two  Bar  Lakes,  the 
railroad,  mill  site,  bridge  piers,  and  village  limits  is  transmitted 
herewith. 

3.  In  the  village  of  Empire  there  are  3  general  stores,  1  hardware 
and  implement  store,  1  dry  goods  store,  1  drug  store,  1  cigar  factory, 

1  furniture  and  undertaking  establishment,  1  livery  and  feed  barn, 

2  barber  shops,  2  saloons,  1  shoe  shop,  1  meat  market,  1  hotel,  1  bank, 
1  novelty  store,  1  blacksmith  shop,  1  machine  shop,  1  gristmill,  1 
small  sawmill  for  custom  work,  1  large   sawmill  cutting  eight  to 
thirteen  million  feet  annually,  1  job  printing  office,  a  weekly  news- 
paper, 2  churches,  and  a  high  school.     The  streets  are  all  graded  and 
all  sidewalks  are  concrete.     The  village  also  has  a  waterworks  system 
furnishing  fire  protection. 

4.  The  chief  commercial  enterprise  at  present  is  that  of  the  Empire 
Lumber  Company,  owned  by  the  T.  Wilce  Company,  of  Chicago,  111. 
The  first  mill,  erected  in  1885,  was  burned  in  August,  1906,  and  at 
a  cost  of  $47,000  was  rebuilt  into  a  more  modern  mill,  during  the 
winter  of  1906-7.     In  1908  the  mill  cut  was  between  7,000,000  and 
8,000,000  feet  b.  m.,  mostly  hard  wood.     All  the  output   except 
hemlock  is  shipped  by  boat  to  Chicago,  where  it  is  made  into  floor- 
ing.    The  hemlock  is  distributed,  mostly  by  rail,  in  Michigan,  Ohio, 
and  Indiana.     Just  at  present  the  mill  is  running  night  and  day 
and  it  is  expected  that  the  cut  this  year  will  be  close  to  11,000,000 
feet  b.  m.,  2,000,000  of  which  will  be  hemlock.     The  mill  is  op- 
erated  eleven  months  during  the  year,   closing  down  one  month 
for  repairs.     This  firm  also  cultivates  600  acres  of  farm  land  in  the 
immediate  vicinity,  producing  fruit,  hay,  grain,  and  other  products. 
In  the  mill,  lumbering  camps,  and  on  the  farm  the  firm  employs 
about  250  men.     The  firm  now  has  25,000,000  feet  of  standing  timber 
in  the  adjacent  townships  of  Empire,  Kason,  and  Platte;  40,000,000 
on  North  Manitou  Island,  and  15,000,000  on  the  south  shore  of  the 
Upper  Peninsula  between  Manistique  and  St.  Ignace.     Thus  far  this 
year  the  company  has  received  most  of  its  logs  from  North  Manitou 
Island,  the  logs  being  loaded  on  board  the  steam  barge  Edward  Buckley 
and  unloaded  on  the  company's  pier  at  Empire,  and  taken  to  the 
mill  on  cars.     This  is  the  firm's  first  experiment  in  this  method  of 
procuring  logs,  and,  contrary  to  general  opinion,  it  is  found  entirely 
feasible  and  profitable.     Because  of  this  development,  it  is  believed 
that  the  life  of  the  mill  will  be  extended  many  years  on  account 
of  the  amount  of  timber  that  may  be  purchased  from  northern  points 
easily  accessible  by  vessel,  but  to-day  unmarketable,  due  to  lack  of 
railroad  facilities  and  to  the  necessity  of  erecting  expensive  mills  in 
each  locality. 

On  the  sketch  heretofore  referred  to  is  shown  the  location  of  two 
bridge  piers  built  out  into  Lake  Michigan  to  approximately  the  15- 

oNot  printed. 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  5 

foot  contour.  These  piers  were  built  by  the  company,  the  south  one 
in  1889  and  the  north  one  hi  1892,  costing  $4,000  and  $7,500,  respec- 
tively. Each  pier  extends  about  500  feet  into  Lake  Michigan,  the 
south  one  being  40  feet  wide  and  the  north  50  feet  wide.  The  south 
pier  is  used  exclusively  for  shipping  lumber  and  the  north  pier  for 
receiving  logs  and  hi  and  out  bound  freight.  During  the  life  of  these 
piers  they  have  been  open  to  the  public,  without  wharf  charges,  for 
vessel  shipment  of  merchandise  and  other  commodities  whenever 
vessels  could  be  induced  to  stop.  The  average  cost  of  repairs  to 
these  structures  is  said  to  be  about  $500  annually.  The  company 
has  no  vessels  of  its  own,  but  relies  wholly  upon  those  in  the  trade 
to  carry  its  products  to  other  markets. 

The  other  sawmill  referred  to  in  paragraph  3  is  small  and  is  only 
operated  occasionally  when  custom  work  demands.  It  is  located  on 
a  highway  on  the  east  side  of  the  village,  and,  as  a  rule,  those  for 
whom  work  is  done  furnish  the  logs,  which  are  hauled  from  the  woods 
by  team. 

5.  Interior  communication  by  rail  is  by  the  Empire  and  South- 
eastern Railroad  (not  incorporated),  llf  miles  in  length,  connecting 
with  the  Manistee  and  Northeastern  Railroad  at  Empire  Junction, 
which  station  is  the  terminus  of  a  17-mile  branch  extending  west- 
ward from  Platte  River  Station  on  the  main  line.  The  Empire  and 
Southeastern  Railroad  operates  two  trains  each  way  daily,  carrying 
passengers  and  freight.  The  road  was  first  built  as  a  logging  road, 
and  still  serves  the  owners,  the  T.  Wilce  Company,  in  this  respect. 
It  was  begun  in  December,  1891,  and  connection  with  the  Manistee 
and  Northeastern  Railroad  at  Empire  Junction  was  made  in  Sep- 
tember, 1900.  Not  being  incorporated,  this  road  is  not  obliged  to 
comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Com- 
mission, and  for  this  reason  declines  to-  quote  any  rates  beyond  its 
own  line. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  freight  traffic  movement  on 
this  road  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1908: 


Commodity. 

Freight 
originating 
on  this  road. 

Freight 
received 
from  con- 
necting road. 

Total  freight 
carried. 

v_ 

Grain 

**"•« 

Tom. 
161 

Tom. 
253 

Flour  

Other  mill  products 

6 
39 

26 
91 

>                   32 
130 

Hav 

61 

128 

189 

Fruits  and  vegetables  
Other  agricultural  products  

2,184 
5 
5 

3 

12 

2,187 
5 
17 

Other  packing-house  products  
Hides  and  leather  
Coal  (hard) 

5 

8 

1 
246 

6 
8 
246 

874 

14 

888 

Other  forest  products.  

2,982 

51,306 
60 

54,288 
60 

Sugar 

14 

14 

Machinery  

Bar  and  sheet  metal 

8 

20 
13 

28 
13 

Cement,  brick,  and  lime 

100 

100 

Agricultural  implements  
Wagons,  carriages,  and  tools  
Wine,  liquors,  and  beers 

10 
5 
64 

10 
5 
64 

Household  goods  and  furniture  
Other  manufactures  

33 
814 

6 
152 

39 
966 

Total. 

7,116 

52,432 

59,548 

LELAND  AND  EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

In  addition  to  the  above  the  road  handled  on  its  own  account: 

Tons. 

Logs : 55,452 

Wood 150 

Bark...  240 


Total.. 55, 842 

6.  The  purpose  of  the  preliminary  examination  not  having  been 
stated  in  the  act,  it  was  learned  from  the  following-mentioned  citi- 
zens, namely,  E.  R.  Dailey,  Thomas  E.  Wilce,  A.  E.  Willard,  M. 
Bidelman,  A.  J.  Nessen,  H.  L.  Nessen,  L.  E.  Collin,  John  Fry,  and 
C.  B.  Ackerman,  that  the  object  sought  was  the  cutting  of  a  channel 
from  South  Bar  Lake  to  Lake  Michigan  and  the  construction  of  the 
necessary   revetments   and   piers.     The   reasons   advanced   for   the 
necessity  of  making  South  Bar  Lake  accessible  to  vessel  traffic  were 
substantially  as  follows: 

While  two  bridge  piers  exist,  they  afford  no  shelter,  so  that  in  unfavorable  weather 
vessels  can  not  remain  tied  to  them  and  landings  are  dangerous.  Accordingly,  vessels 
on  regularly  scheduled  trips  may  be  obliged  to  pass  Empire  without  touching  there, 
with  resulting  loss  and  inconvenience  to  shippers.  A  good  harbor  with  sufficient 
depth  and  substantial  entrance  piers  would  permit  regularity  of  service  with  rates 
greatly  less  than  the  rail  rates  now  in  force.  It  will  foster  manufacturing  develop- 
ment and  furnish  to  the  farmer  a  quick  and  cool  route  to  his  markets  at  Chicago, 
Milwaukee,  and  Sheboygan,  so  that  with  the  eventual  decline  of  the  lumber  traffic 
a  more  permanent  one  of  finished  manufactures  and  of  agricultural  products  will  in 
the  presence  of  a  good  harbor  surely  arise.  Such  a  harbor  may,  moreover,  serve  as 
a  refuge  for  vessels  engaged  in  general  commerce  on  Lake  Michigan,  one  of  whose 
principal  streams  passes  within  5  or  6  miles  of  Empire. 

7.  The  following  is  a  statement  of  vessel  arrivals  and  departures 
for  the  season  of  1908,  as  compiled  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Dailey: 

Steam  barge  Edward  Buckley  cleared  with  21  loads  lumber  for  Chicago. 

Steam  barge  S.  K.  Martin  cleared  with  1  load  lumber  for  Chicago. 

Steam  barge  0.  E.  Parks  cleared  with  1  load  lumber  for  Chicago. 

Schooner  J.  H.  Stevens  cleared  with  16  loads  slabs  and  edgings  for  Sheboygan,  Wis. 

Schooner  Seaman  cleared  with  3  loads  slabs  and  potatoes  for  Milwaukee. 

Schooner  J.  H.  Holmes  cleared  with  4  loads  of  bark  for  Milwaukee. 

Steamer  Pere   Marcjuette  No.  6  arrived  3  trips  from  Frankfort  with  excursionists; 

cleared  1  trip  to  Boyne  City  with  300  excursionists. 
Steam  barge  F.  W.  Fletcher  arrived  and  cleared  3  different  times  with  merchandise 

for  local  merchants,  and  loaded  merchandise  for  North  Manitou  Island. 
Steam  barge  N.  J.  Nessen  made  3  different  stops  here  going  north,  for  supplies,  and  to 

leave  off  a  cargo  of  salt. 
Steamer  Manistee  arrived  and  cleared  2  different  times  with  merchandise  for  Empire, 

and  took  on  merchandise  for  North  Manitou  Island. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  a  number  of  gasoline  launches  were  en- 
gaged in  trade  between  Empire  and  the  Manitou  Islands,  Glen  Haven 
and  Glen  Arbor,  and  it  is  claimed  by  local  merchants  that  this 
trade  amounts  to  about  $12,000  annually. 

For  1909,  up  to  and  including  August  3,  the  arrivals  and  departures 
have  been  as  follows : 

Steam  barge  Edward  Buckley  cleared  23  trips  with  lumber  for  Chicago;  arrived  33 

trips  loaded  with  logs  from  Manitou  Island. 

Steam  barge  0.  E.  Parks  cleared  1  trip  lumber  to  Detroit  and  Tonawanda. 
Steam  barge  S.  K.  Martin  cleared  1  load  lumber  for  Tonawanda. 
Steamer  Pere  Marquette  No.  6  cleared  1  trip  with  339  passengers  to  Manitou  Island; 

arrived  3  trips  from  Manistee  with  excursionists. 
Steam  barge  Krause  arrived  and  loaded  supplies  for  North  Manitou  Island  3  times. 


LELAND  AND   EMPIKE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  7 

Schooner  /.  H.  Stevens  cleared  16  trips  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  with  slabs,  edgings,  and 

bark. 
Schooner  Petril  cleared  1  trip  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  with  load  of  slabs. 

In  commenting  on  the  above  for  1909,  Mr.  Dailey  says: 

Our  shipment  of  logs  from  North  Manitou  Island  here  to  be  manufactured  into  lum- 
ber for  reshipment  by  water  to  Chicago  this  season  has  been  about  2,500,000  feet. 
We  expect  to  double  that  amount  this  coming  year,  as  we  find  that  the  transportation 
of  logs  by  water  loaded  on  boats  is  a  complete  success  and  much  cheaper  than  to 
handle  them  the  same  distance  by  rail.  This  we  have  demonstrated  beyond  any 
question  of  doubt,  and  this  fact  alone  will  materially  increase  the  necessity  for  a 
harbor  here  or  for  some  shelter  for  boats  in  case  of  storms. 

8.  Vessel  commerce  at  present  is  entirely  local,  and  according  to 
the  best  information  available  the  following  statement  shows  the 
amount  received  at  and  shipped  from  Empire  piers  for  the  calendar 
year  1908: 


Articles  received. 

Tons. 

Articles  shipped. 

Tons. 

Oats  

80 

Lumber  (7,000,000  feet  b.  m.)  

17,500 

Miscellaneous  merchandise 

150 

Slabs     . 

3.750 

Bark 

•787 

Straw  

150 

Potatoes     .  . 

420 

150 

General  merchandise  1  

48 

Total 

230 

Total 

22,805 

A  conservative  estimate  of  the  valuation  of  the  above  lake  traffic  is 
$178,000. 

9.  A  comparative  statement  of  vessel  and  railroad  freight  rates 
affecting  this  locality  is  as  follows: 

[Cents  per  hundredweight.] 


(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

Railroad 

Joint  rate 

Joint  rate 

Railroad 

Railroad 

Railroad 

Vessel 

Vessel 

rate  to 

railroad 

railroad 

rate  via 

rate,  Em- 

rate, Em- 

rate to 

rate  to 

Chicago. 

toManis- 
tee  and 

to  Manis- 
tee  and 

Luding- 
ton  and 

pire  to 
Empire 

pire 
Junction 

Chicago. 

Milwau- 
kee. 

Class  of  freight. 

by  boat 
to  Chi- 

by boat 
to  Mil- 

car ferry 
to  Mil- 

Junction 
on  E.and 

toMan- 
istee. 

cago. 

waukee, 

waukee, 

S.  E. 

April  15 

Novem- 

R. R. 

to  No- 

ber 15  to 

vember 

April  15. 

15. 

First 

59 

48 

454 

48 

10 

22 

38 

35 

Second  

50 

41 

39 

42 

8 

18 

33 

30 

Third  

38 

31 

814 

6 

15 

25 

20 

Fourth 

30 

21 

224 

4 

12 

17 

15 

Fifth  

204 

16* 

isj 

2i 

8 

13 

12 

Sixth  

16 

13 

15 

2* 

5 

10 

9 

NOTE.— In  railroad  tariff  schedules,  published  under  requirements  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Com- 
mission, rates  affecting  Empire  are  given  only  as  far  as  Empire  Junction,  and  to  obtain  rates  to  Empire 
it  is  necessary  to  add  the  rates  in  column  5.  This  has  been  done  for  the  rates  quoted  in  columns  1  to  4, 


As  there  are  no  regular  vessel  lines  calling  at  Empire,  no  published 
freight  tariff  exists,  and  the  rates  given  in  columns  7  and  8  are  approx- 
imately what  might  be  expected  under  a  regularly  published  tariff. 


8 


LELAND  AND  EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 


10.  The  amount  saved  in  freight  charges  by  virtue  of  a  water 
route,  on  the  items  mentioned  hi  paragraph  8,  exclusive  of  the  items 
of  general  merchandise,  is  as  follows : 


Rate,  all 

Commodity. 

Weight. 

Class. 

rail  or  rail 
and  car 
ferry  (per 

Vessel  rate 
(per  cwt.). 

Amount 
saved. 

cwt.). 

Tons. 

Cents. 

Cents. 

Lumber"  ..  .'  . 

17,500 

6 

16 

3J 

$42,750.00 

Slabs  6 

3,750 

6 

12 

4 

6,000.00 

Barkc 

787 

6 

7J 

708.  30 

Straw  a  

150 

5 

16J 

12 

135.00 

Potatoes  6  

420 

5 

is! 

8 

630.00 

150 

5 

20* 

12 

255.00 

Gate*  

80 

6 

16 

10 

144.00 

Total  saving 

50,622.30 

o  Shipped  to  Chicago,  water  rate  $1.70  per  M  feet  b.  m. 

6  Shipped  to  Milwaukee,  water  rate  $1.50  per  cord  on  slabs. 

e  Shipped  to  Sheboygan,  water  rate  $1.50  per  cord. 

d  Shipped  to  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  Duluth  (used  Chicago  rates). 

<  Shipped  from  Chicago. 

jp  Itjshould  be  noted  that  most  of  the  above  articles,  in  spite  of  the 
absence  of  a  harbor,  are  now  actually  shipped  by  water  and  that  the 
total  saving  is  also  largely  actual. 

11.  The  country  said  to  be  tributary  to  a  harbor  at  this  point,  com- 
prises the  townships  of  Platte,  Almira,  Empire,  Kasson,  Glen  Arbor, 
and  the  south  half  of  Cleveland  Township,  in  all,  an  area  of  about 
180  square  miles.     Since  its  timber  has  been  cut,  this  area  is  being 
gradually  devoted  to  agriculture.     It  is  claimed  that. 50  per  cent  of 
this  land  is  now  under  cultivation;  that  about  25  per  cent  is  cut-over 
land  now  open  to  settlement,  and  about  25  per  cent  is  standing  timber. 
The  principal  agricultural  products  are  fruit  (berries,  cherries,  and 
apples),  potatoes,  rye,  corn,  wheat,  and  buckwheat,  and  cattle.     Un- 
improved land  may  now  be  purchased  for  $10  to  $15  per  acre  and  the 
value  of  improved  farms  ranges  from  $25  to  $100  per  acre,  the  average 
being  about  $40. 

12.  The  local  interests  consulted  could  not  give  an  estimate  of  the 
probable  future  commerce  of  a  harbor  at  this  point,  but  it  was  com- 
mon opinion  that  a  harbor  would  do  more  than  anything  else  toward 
the  settlement  of  the  country,  that  the  agricultural  products  now 
raised  and  seeking  a  water  outlet  and  the  importation  of  logs  would 
greatly  increase  the  tonnage  over  that  given  in  paragraph  8.     The 
outgoing  lumber  tonnage  thus  far  this  year  is  approximately  equal 
to  that  reported  for  1908,  and  in  addition  the  receipts  of  logs  alone 
has  been  about  15,000  tons. 

13.  The  land  bordering  on  South  Bar  Lake  is  all  owned  by  the  T. 
Wilce  Company,  except  along  the  east  shore  from  the  railroad  north 
a  distance  of  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  which  is  owned  by  three  different 
individuals,  each  with  one-fourth  mile  frontage.     Naturally  no  Ulte- 
rior wharves  exist,  and  from  the  soundings  given  in  paragraph  2  it 
will  be  noticed  that  by  reducing  these  to  Lake  Michigan  datum  (a 
reduction  of  approximately  3  feet)  the  navigable  area  of  the  lake 
would  be  somewhat  decreased  and  the  greatest  depth  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  railroad  trestle  would  be  11  feet,  with  a  channel  width  of  about 
100  feet,  while  a  10v-foot  depth  would  afford  a  channel  about  200  feet 


LELAND  AND  EMPIKE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  9 

wide.  North  of  the  railroad  trestle  depths  in  excess  of  those  given 
are  said  to  exist.  To  convert  this  lake  into  a  serviceable  harbor, 
which  should  not  have  less  than  16  feet  available  depth,  would  prob- 
ably require  considerable  dredging.  At  the  time  of  the  examination 
assurances  were  given  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Dailey,  manager  of  the  Empire  Lum- 
ber Company,  that  if  the  United  States  would  make  an  entrance  from 
Lake  Michigan  the  company  would  not  only  care  for  such  dredging 
inside  as  was  deemed  necessary  but  would  also  remove  the  railroad 
trestle,  build  a  transfer  wharf  and  wharves  for  handling  lumber  and 
logs,  and  deed  to  the  village  free  of  cost  all  land  necessary  for  a  free 
wharf  at  such  location  as  would  best  serve  the  public  interests. 

14.  The  inclosed  letters  from  the  T.  Wilce  Company  and  Nessen 
Brothers  have  been  received  in  response  to  a  circular  letter0  sent  out 
by  this  office  under  date  of  June  1,  1909,  and  attention  is  invited  to 
the  statements  therein. 

15.  From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  a  moderate  commerce  now 
exists  at  Empire,  whose  future  growth  would  be  considerably  aided 
by  the  existence  of  an  easily  accessible  harbor,  and  that  in  addition 
the  settlement  and  agricultural  development  of  the  tributary  country 
would  probably  be  promoted  by  the  sure  and  cheap  service  of  regularly 
scheduled  steam  vessels.     It  is  also  evident  that  the  principal  local 
interest  is  prepared  to  cooperate  generously  with  the  United  States  in 
the  provision  of  harbor  facilities.     On  the  other  hand  much,  if  not  all, 
of   the    anticipated    increased    commerce    would    eventually    come, 
though  perhaps  more  slowly,  even  though  the  harbor  were  not  pro- 
vided and  relatively  as  much  of  this  increase  as  of  the  existing  com- 
merce would  probably  use  the  somewhat  uncertain  water  route,  so 
that  the  saving  due  to  ttie  provision  of  a  safe  and  deep  harbor  would 
in  the  end  be  but  small.     Whether  the  economic  advantages  due 
to  the  existence  of  the  proposed  harbor  are  of  such  magnitude  as  to 
justify  its  construction  may  be  decided  only  after  the  cost  of  the 
required  harbor  has  been  ascertained  and  the  latter  compared  with 
the  cost  of  a  good  macadamized  road  to  Frankfort,  and  I  therefore 
report  that  a  survey  and  estimate  are  required  to  determine  the 
advisability  of  this  improvement.     The  survey  will  cost  $350. 

16.  Reports  upon  previous  examinations  of  this  locality  are  to  be 
found  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  as  follows: 
Report  of  1881,  pages  2258-2262;  Report  of  1887,  pages  2209-2211. 

17.  No  question  of  water  power,  forestation,  or  flood  protection  is 
involved  in  creating  a  harbor  at  this  place. 

LELAND   HARBOR. 

18.  The  unincorporated  village  of  Leland,  county  seat  of  Leelanau 
County,  is  situated  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  at  the  mouth 
of  Carp  River,  the  outlet  of   Carp  Lake,  about    halfway  between 
Sleeping  Bear  Point   and  Light-House  Point,   at  the  entrance  to 
Grand  Traverse  Bay.     South  Manitou  Harbor  bears  due  west   16 
miles,  while  to  the  nearest  landing  on  North  Manitou  Island,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  light-house,  is  about  10£  miles.     The  nearest  harbors 
of  commercial  importance  are  Frankfort  on  the  south  and  Charlevoix 
on  the  north,  distant,  respectively,  about  42  and  35  miles.     The 

°Not  printed. 


10  LELAND   AND  EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

locality  is  shown  on  Lake  Survey  Charts  of  Lake  Michigan  Nos.  70 
and  71. 

19.  The  population  of  Leland  is  properly  about  300,  which  during 
the  resort  season  of  the  summer  months  is  increased  to  a  daily 
average  of  about  500.     In  the  village  there  are  3  general  stores, 
3  hotels,  2  confectionery  and  fruit  stores,  2  meat  markets,  2  saloons, 
7  fishing  rigs,  a  livery  and  feed  stable,  an  electric-power  plant,  a 
canning  factory,  a  shingle  mill,  a  steam  laundry,  and  a  newspaper 
and  printing  office. 

The  canning  factory,  representing  an  outlay  of  about  $15,000,  is  not 
running  at  present,  but  during  1907  and  1908  the  yearly  output  was 
claimed  to  be  about  350  tons,  valued  at  $25,000.  When  operating  at 
full  capacity,  the  factory  employs  75  to  100  persons. 

In  former  years  Leland  owed  its  importance  to  the  operation  of  a 
charcoal  iron  furnace,  but  since  1882,  the  last  year  of  its  operation, 
the  plant  has  been  dismantled  and  the  buildings  torn  down. 

At  the  site  of  the  dam  across  Carp  River,  formerly  owned  by  the 
iron  company,  the  Leland  Light  and  rower  Company  has  constructed 
a  new  concrete  dam  with  four  penstocks  and  a  9-foot  head.  Since 
July  1,  1909,  one  wheel  has  been  in  operation,  furnishing  light  to 
Leland,  Suttons  Bay,  Fountain  Point  Resort,  East  Leland  Resort, 
Provemont,  Omena,  Omena  Resort,  Northport,  and  Northport  Point 
Resort.  A  second  wheel  will  be  installed  by  October  1  of  the  present 
year,  and  another  lighting  circuit  extending  out  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion. Next  year  the  company  expects  to  be  in  position  to  furnish 
electric  power  for  manufacturing  and  traction  purposes.  This  plant 
when  fully  installed  may  develop  1 ,000  horsepower,  and  thus  far  rep- 
resents an  investment  of  $37,000.  The  stocl^  of  the  company  is  prac- 
tically all  owned  by  Mr.  Charles  S.  Abbott,  of  Detroit. 

The  Lake  Michigan  frontage  and  the  shores  of  Carp  Lake  in  the 
vicinity  of  Leland  are,  of  late  years,  being  rapidly  devoted  to  private 
summer  homes  and  summer  resorts.  There  are  now  three  summer 
hotels  in  the  vicinity  accommodating  from  25  to  50  guests  each. 

In  addition  to  the  shingle  mill  at  Leland,  lumbering  interests, 
tributary  to  Carp  Lake,  are  to  be  found  at  Provemont,  Bingham, 
and  Cedar.  The  shingle  mill  at  Leland  has  operated  in  the  past 
about  three  months  each  year,  the  yearly  output  being  about  600,000 
shingles  valued  at  $1,200.  The  sawmills  at  Provemont  and  Bingham 
are  operated,  respectively,  about  three  and  eight  months  during  the 
year.  The  Provemont  mill  in  the  past  has  cut  about  500,000  feet 
b.  m.  each  year  and  the  Bingham  mill  about  2,000,000.  During 
the  year  1908  the  cut  of  both  mills  was  small,  that  of  the  Bingham 
plant  being  only  250,000  feet  b.  m.  The  mill  at  Cedar  in  1908  cut 
5,500,000'  feet  b.  m.,  4,000,000  staves,  and  3,300,000  shingles.  The 
lumber  manufactured  in  this  vicinity  is  mostly  hard  wood,  and  the 
average  local  market  value  is  about  $16  per  thousand  feet  b.  m. 
Shingles  bring  on  the  local  market  about  $2  per  thousand.  The  fu- 
ture life  of  the  mills  above  referred  to  is  estimated  by  a  local  authority 
as  two  years  for  the  mills  at  Leland  and  Provemont,  five  to  eight 
years  for  the  mill  at  Bingham,  and  about  ten  years  for  the  mill  at 
Cedar. 

20.  Carp  Lake,  known  locally  as  "Lake  Leelanau,"  is  a  body  of  water 
approximately  16  miles  long  and  varying  in  width  from  about  If 


LELAND  AND   EMPIBE    HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  11 

miles  to  about  200  feet.  The  upper  and  lower  portions  of  the  lake 
have  depths  from  30  to  60  feet,  but  in  the  narrows,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Provemont,  the  water  is  shoal  and  not  navigable  for  vessels. of  over 
6  feet  draft.  The  only  bridge  across  the  lake  is  at  the  village  of 
Provemont.  This  is  a  steel  structure  and  affords  a  head  room  for  pass- 
ing vessels  of  about  15  feet. 

Carp  River,  known  also  as  "Leelanau  River, "  is  a  narrow  and 
crooked  stream  about  4,000  feet  long,  navigable  between  Carp  Lake 
and  the  Leland  highway  bridge  for  vessels  of  shallow  draft.  The 
bridge  at  Leland,  situated  on  Main  street,  is  a  100-foot  steel  truss, 
affording  a  head  room  above  the  water  surface  of  about  5.5  feet. 
The  power  dam  is  about  250  feet  west  of  this  bridge  and  300  feet  east 
of  Lake  Michigan.  Between  the  dam  and  Lake  Michigan  the  depth 
in  the  river  is  3  to  4  feet,  and  the  banks,  about  40  feet  apart,  are  partly 
revetted  with  slabs  and  piles.  This  narrow,  short  stretch  of  river  is 
the  harbor  for  the  small  boats  engaged  in  the  fishing  industry. 

At  the  time  of  this  preliminary  examination  the  elevation  of  the 
water  surface  in  Carp  Lake  was  about  9  feet  above  that  of  Lake  Michi- 

fan  and  there  was  no  provision  for  passing  boats  through  the  dam. 
he  owner  of  the  dam  stated  that  he  intended,  next  year,  to  build  an 
electrical  tramway  for  this  purpose  that  would  care  for  vessels  not 
exceeding  a  beam  of  14  feet. 

Extending  into  Lake  Michigan  about  60  feet  north  of  the  mouth 
of  the  river  is  a  bridge  pier  about  650  feet  long.  Except  the  outer 
100  feet,  which  is  60  feet  wide  and  holds  a  warehouse  20  by  30  feet, 
the  pier  is  16  feet  wide.  It  extends  to  about  the  17-foot  contour. 
The  30-foot  contour  is  about  100  feet  beyond  the  outer  end  of  the 
pier  and  outside  this  contour  the  lake  bottom  is  believed  to  be  nearly 
level  for  a  distance  of  800  feet.  This  pier  is  owned  by  the  Leland 
Dock  Company  (Incorporated),  was  built  in  1906,  at  a  cost  of  $3,500, 
and  placed  in  commission  in  1907.  Since  then  the  cost  of  repairs  of 
damage  by  ice  has  been  about  $400.  A  pier  previously  in  use 
belonging  to  the  Leland  Lumber  Company,  which  has  been  out  of 
business  for  a  number  of  years,  was  destroyed  in  1900. 

21.  There  are  no  railroads  running  into  Leland,  and  the  Northern 
Michigan  Transportation  Company,  operating  vessels  between  Chicago 
and  northern  Michigan  points,  is  the  only  line  calling  regularly. 
This  line  has  scheduled  sailings  from  Leland  pier  of  two  boats  each 
way  weekly  during  the  season  of  navigation,  subject,  however,  to 
weather  conditions.  The  nearest  railroad  station  is  at  Provemont, 
distant  by  wagon  road  about  5  miles.  This  is  the  northern  terminus 
of  a  branch  of  the  Manistee  and  Northeastern  Railroad.  Suttons 
Bay,  a  station  on  the  Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana  Railway,  is  about 
8$  miles  distant. 

During  the  summer  months  two  small  steamers  are  operated  on 
Carp  Lake  carrying  passengers  and  freight  to  all  points  along  the  lake 
and  making  connections  with  the  Manistee  and  Northeastern  Railroad 
at  Provemont  and  Fouch.  The  latter  station  is  on  the  main  line  of 
the  Manistee  and  Northeastern  Railroad  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 

On  the  charts  referred  to  in  paragraph  18  the  above-mentioned 
branch  of  the  Manistee  and  Northeastern  Railroad  is  not  shown. 
This  branch  railroad  leaves  the  main  line  at  Solon,  a  station  about  2 
miles  south  of  the  south  end  of  Carp  Lake,  and  continues  north  to 


12 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 


Provemont,  running  about  parallel  to  and  1£  miles  west  of  the  west 
shore  of  Carp  Lake.  The  Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana  Railway  passes 
through  the  village  of  Suttons  Bay,  thence  almost  directly  south 
through  Bingham,  and  to  Hatches  Crossing,  a  station  on  the  Manistee 
and  Northeastern  Railroad,  6  miles  out  of  Traverse  City. 

22.  The  purpose  of  this  preliminary  examination  not  having  been 
stated  in  the  act,  it  was  learned  from  the  following  interested  persons, 
namely,  L.  Conaunt,  C.  E.  Wilder,  H.  C.  Starr,  W.  C.  Nelson,  B.  N. 
Pickard,  John  Peters,  C.  L.  Dayton,  C.  Warner,  Thos.  Robinson, 
C,  H.  Carse,  C.  S.  Abbott,  A.  L.  Lederle,  F.  P.  Rosman,  and  H.  M. 
Hinshaw,  that  the  object  sought  was  the  construction  of  an  outer 
harbor  in  Lake  Michigan,  such  as  would  serve  to  protect  the  bridge 
pier  and  render  landings  safe  under  all  conditions  of  weather.     The 
reasons  advanced  for  this  demand  were  generally  that  a  protected 
and  adequate  harbor  will  greatly  decrease  the  average  length  of  haul 
on  land  and  is  necessary  to  enable  the  products  of  the  Leelanau 
Peninsula  to  get  to  their  principal  markets  at  Chicago  and  Milwaukee 
at  a  reasonable  cost  and  in  a  reasonable  time  for  the  portion  of  haul 
by  water.     At  present  on  the  entire  Lake  Michigan  front  of  Leelanau 
County  there  is  no  protected  harbor,  so  that  many  of  the  farmers 
must  haul  their  produce  to  ports  on  Granpl  Traverse  Bay,  to  which 
the  haul  is  two-thirds  longer  than  to  Carp  Lake,  which  is  navigable 
and  might  readily  be  used  by  launches  and  scows.     As  there  is  no 
protected  harbor  on  the  east  coast  between  Charlevoix  and  Frank- 
fort, a  good  one  at  Leland  would,  it  is  claimed,  be  available  for  use 
as  shelter  by  the  heavy  general  commerce  of  the  lake.     Under  present 
conditions  the  absence  of  shelter  causes  uncertainty  in  vessel  sched- 
ules with  consequent  loss  and  inconvenience.     A  good  harbor  here 
would  remove  these  obstacles  to  business  and  would  help  to  develop 
the  locality  industrially  and  agriculturally. 

23.  A  statement  of  the  amount  and  value  of  the  water-borne  com- 
merce at  Leland  for  the  years  of  1907  and  1908  was  asked  of  the 
Northern  Michigan  Transportation  Company  under  dates  of  June  23 
and  July  24,  but  has  not  been  received.     Fiona  the  Leland  Dock  Com- 
pany was  obtained  the  following  as  to  the  number  cf  passengers  car- 
ried and  the  amount  of  freight  charges  collected  for  the  years  1 907 
and  1908: 


1907. 

1908. 

Passengers  in  

250 

311 

217 

260 

Total  

467 

571 

Charges  on  inbound  freight 

$1  178  74 

Total 

1    A17    HO 

' 

Assuming  an  average  rate  of  30  cents  per  hundredweight  for  all 
classes  of  freight  between  Chicago  and  Leland,  the  quantities  carried 
during  the  years  1907  and  1908  (based  on  the  total  charges  collected 
as  given  above)  would  be  249  tons  and  236  tons,  respectively. 


LELAND  AND   EMPIEE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 


13 


This  average  rate  of  30  cents  per  hundredweight  is  derived  upon  the 
following  assumption: 


Class  of  freight. 

Rate  per 
hundred- 
weight, 
Chicago  to 
Leland. 

Per  cent  of 
each  class 
of  freight 
carried. 

Product. 

First 

Cents. 
38 

25 

$9  50 

Second  

33 

40 

13.20 

Third  

25 

20 

5  00 

Fourth 

17 

10 

1  70 

Fifth.... 

13 

2 

.26 

Sixth 

10 

3 

30 

100 

29.86 

It  is  believed  the  above  average  rate  between  Chicago  and  Leland 
is  very  close  to  the  true  figure,  and  the  assumption  of  so  long  a  haul 
for  the  entire  tonnage  may  be  somewhat  in  error,  but  it  is  reasonably 
certain  that  the  amount  of  vessel  freight  at  this  port  would  not  ex- 
ceed 500  tons  for  each  of  the  past  two  years. 

The  amount  of  business  transacted  annually  by  the  three  general 
stores  is  said  to  be  about  $56,000  in  all,  and  this  total  would  ordinarily 
represent  about  225  tons  of  merchandise.  From  the  report  of  the 
Bureau  of  Statistics  a  statement  of  the  lake  commerce  for  Leland 
Harbor  for  the  past  two  years  is  as  follows: 

1907,  unclassed  freight:  Tons. 

Received None. 

Shipped 50 

1908,  unclassed  freight: 

Received 456 


Shipped. 
Total. 


110 


566 

24.  No  estimate  could  be  obtained  of  the  tonnage  which  would 
probably  be  received  and  shipped  by  water  after  the  completion  of  the 
proposed  harbor.  The  following  statistics  of  the  nature  of  and  the 
area  of  land  under  cultivation  and  of  the  amount  of  standing  timber 
were  furnished: 

Leelanau  County. 

Approximate  total  area square  miles. .  355 

Land  under  cultivation  in  1904 acres. .  70, 422 

Land  not  under  cultivation  in  1904 do 68,482 

Estimated  standing  timber feetb.  m..  135,000,000 

Estimated  as  tributary  to  Leland  and  Carp  Lake. 

Total  area square  miles. .          123 

Area  under  cultivation do 65 

Area  planted  in  potatoes,  1909 acres..          800 

Yield  of  potatoes  per  acre bushels. .          135 

Area  in  apple  orchards,  1909 acres..       1,000 

20 
90 

25  to  40 
15 


Yield  of  apples  per  acre barrels. 

Average  size  of  farms acres. . 

Value  of  farm  lands  per  acre dollars. 

Average  haul  to  market  under  present  conditions miles. 

Average  haul  to  Leland do 

Average  haul  to  Carp  Lake do 


14 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 


25.  A  comparative  statement  of  railroad  and  vessel  freight  rates 
as  affecting  Leland  Harbor  is  as  follows : 

[Cents  per  hundredweight.] 


Joint  rate 

railroad  from 

Class  of  freight. 

Railroad  rate, 
Provemont 
or  Fouch  to 
Chicago. 

Provemont 
or  Fouch  to 
Manistee, 
thence  by 

Vessel  rate. 
Leland  to 
Chicago. 

vessel  to 

Chicago. 

First 

49 

38 

38 

Second                                                                     

42 

33 

33 

Third 

32 

25 

25 

22 

17 

17 

Fifth                                   .                                

18 

13 

13 

Sixth 

13 

10 

10 

The  cost  of  transportation  between  Leland  and  the  railroad,  which 
is  said  to  be  an  average  of  7  cents  per  hundredweight,  should  be  added 
to  the  above  figures. 

All  perishable  fruits  from  this  locality,  such  as  cherries,  raspberries, 
etc.,  are  now  being  shipped  to  Chicago  by  way  of  Traverse  City.  At 
Traverse  City  there  is  a  choice  of  two  routes,  viz:  An  all-rail  route  in 
refrigerator  cars,  or  by  rail  to  Manistee  and  thence  by  vessel.  The 
time  required  in  transit  by  the  above-named  routes  is  thirty-six  hours 
and  twenty-one  hours,  respectively.  Notwithstanding  a  30  per  cent 
lower  rate,  practically  speaking,  no  perishable  fruits  are  shipped  by 
an  all-vessel  route  from  any  of  the  ports  on  Grand  Traverse  Bay, 
owing  to  the  absence  of  icing  facilities  and  to  the  time  required  for 
transit,  which  from  Traverse  City  is  approximately  thirty-three  hours. 
The  steamer  schedule  between  Leland  and  Chicago  at  the  present 
time  is  twenty-three  hours,  but  by  a  direct  boat  this  would  probably 
be  cut  to  twenty  hours. 

26.  The  inclosed  letter0  from  the  Leelanau  County  Canning  Com- 
pany was  the  only  one  received  in  response  to  a  circular  letter  sent 
out  by  this  office  under  date  of  July  1,  1909,  and  attention  is  invited 
to  the  statements  therein. 

27.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  future  development  of  the  country  lying 
north  and  east  of  Sleeping  Bear  Point  and  as  far  as  Grand  Traverse 
Bay  will  some  day  justify  %the  establishment  of  a  harbor  close  to  the 
main  route  of  the  general  lake  commerce,  but  at  the  present  time 
commercial  and  farming  interests  do  not  appear  to  be  of  sufficient 
magnitude  to  justify  the  construction  of  an  outer  harbor  at  Leland. 
Furthermore,  the  asserted  necessity  for  a  harbor  of  refuge  has  not 
been  substantiated.     Grand  Traverse  Bay,  with  its  numerous  shel- 
tered harbors  and  the  shelter  of  the  Manitou  Islands,  are  near  at  hand. 

28.  No  question  of  forestation  or  flood  protection  is  involved  in 
this  examination,  neither  is  there  of  water  power,  as  a  channel  from 
Lake  Michigan  to  Carp  Lake  is  not  under  consideration. 

a  Not  printed. 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  15 

29.  Reports  upon  previous  examinations  at  this  harbor  are  to  be 
found  in  Annual  Reports  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers  for  1870,  page  148, 
and  for  1887,  pages  2208-2209. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

CHARLES  KELLER, 
Major,  Corps  of  Engineers. 
The  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS,  U.  S.  ARMY. 
(Through  the  Division  Engineer.) 

[First  indorsement.] 

U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE,  LAKES  DIVISION, 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  September  28,  1909. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army, 
concurring  in  the 'district  officer's  recommendation  that  a  survey  be 
authorized  at  Empire,  and  in  his  opinion  that  Leland  Harbor  is  not 
at  the  present  time  worthy  of  improvement  by  the  United  States. 

W.  L.  FISK, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Division  Engineer. 

[Third  indorsement.] 

BOARD  OF  ENGINEERS  FOR  RIVERS  AND  HARBORS, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  October  4,  1909. 

Respectfully  returned  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Armv. 

The  district  officer  expresses  the  opinion,  in  which  the  division 
engineer  concurs,  that  Leland  Harbor  is  not  worthy  of  improvement 
and  that  a  survey  and  estimate  of  cost  are  necessary  to  determine 
the  advisability  of  improving  Empire  Harbor. 

The  amount  involved  in  the  survey  is  small  and  the  information 
to  be  gained  thereby  would  certainly  be  of  value  in  arriving  at  a 
conclusion  as  to  whether  it  is  advisable  for  the  United  States,  either 
alone  or  in  cooperation  with  local  interests,  to  undertake  to  create 
a  harbor  at  this  locality. 

While  the  results  of  expenditures  on  somewhat  similarly  located 
harbors  have  not  been  generally  encouraging,  it  is  believed  in  the 
case  in  hand  that  the  question  of  advisability  can  be  better  deter- 
mined after  an  estimate  of  cost  has  been  obtained.  The  Board  there- 
fore concurs  in  recommending  that  a  survey  of  Empire  Harbor  be 
authorized. 

Interested  parties  have  been  invited  to  submit  their  views  to  the 
Board  regarding  the  improvement  of  Leland  Harbor.  The  Board 
will  therefore  withhold  its  opinion  in  regard  to  this  harbor  for  the 
present. 

For  the  Board: 

JOHN  G.  D.  KNIGHT, 

Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 
Senior  member  of  the  Board. 


16  LELAND  AND  EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

[Fourth  indorsement.] 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
OFFICE  OF  THE  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS, 

Washington,  October  12,  1909. 
Respectfully  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 
This  is  a  report  on  preliminary^  examination  of  Empire  and  Leland 
harbors,  Michigan,  authorized  by  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  March 
3,  1909. 

Inviting  attention  to  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  for  Rivers 
and  Harbors  in  the  preceding  indorsement,  I  recommend  that  a  survey 
of  Empire  Harbor  be  authorized  as  proposed. 

Pursuant  to  the  accompanying  telegram  from  Major  Keller  it  is 
requested  that  action  in  this  case  be  expedited. 

W.  L..  MARSHALL, 
Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army. 

[Fifth  indorsement.! 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

October  12,  1909. 
Approved : 

ROBERT  SHAW  OLIVER, 

Acting  Secretary  of  War. 


SURVEY  OF  EMPIRE  HARBOR,  MICHIGAN. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  January  17,  1910. 

SIR:  1.  In  compliance  with  the  directions  of  the  letter  from  the 
office  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers  dated  October  13, 1909, 1  have  thehonor 
to  report  as  follows  upon  the  survey  of  Empire  Harbor,  Michigan : 

2.  The  survey  was  made  between  October  20  and  November  1, 
1909,  by  Junior  Engineer  C.  W.  H.  Smith,  and  the  results  are  fully 
shown  in  the  tracing,0  which  is  to-day  forwarded  in  separate  inclosure. 

3.  Experience  has  shown  conclusively  that  to  serve  satisfactorily 
the  class  of  traffic  to  be  expected  at  Empire  Harbor  it  should  be  pro- 
vided with  entrance  piers  not  less,  and  preferably  more,  than  250 
feet  apart,  terminating  at  this  locality  approximately  at  the  24-foot 
contour,  and  that  the  area  between  the  parallel  piers  and  revetments 
should  be  dredged  to  18  feet  below  zero.     At  T^mpire  an  entrance 
conforming  to  this  general  description  will  require  tor  each  pier  400 
feet  of  cribs  24  feet  wide,  300  feet  of  cribs  20  feet  wide,  300  feet  of 
sheet  pile  pier  16  feet  wideband  490  feet  of  sheet  pile  revetment  16 
feet  wide,  and  188,700  cubic  yards  of  dredging  between  the  piers. 
The  piers  and  revetments  are  indicated  upon  the  tracing. 

4.  In  addition  there  would  be  required  an  interior  basin  which,  as 
shown,  extends  1,400  feet  south  of  the  wing  of  the  north  revetment, 
varying  in  width  from  500  to  200  feet,  the  depth  to  be  16  feet  below 
zero.     This  basin  should,  it  is  believed,  be  dredged  by  the  local 

a  Not  printed. 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,  MICHIGAN.  IT 

interests,  and  to  protect  it  and  the  entrance  channel  from  shoaling,, 
due  to  the  deposit  of  material  eroded  from  the  banks  by  storm  waves, 
these  interests  should  also  be  called  upon  to  construct  revetments  of 
suitable  type  for  the  protection  of  the  banks  of  this  interior  basin. 
Thus  there  will  be  207,800  cubic  yards  of  dredging  to  be  done  and 
2,600  linear  feet  of  revetment  to  be  built  by  local  interests,  which 
should,  in  case  the  entrance  is  completed  at  the  expense  of  the  United 
States,  in  addition  remove  the  trestle  which  now  crosses  South  Bar 
Lake,  and  deed  to  the  United  States  such  land  as  is  needed  for  the 
improvement. 

5.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  structures  and  dredging  is  as  follows : 

(a)  To  be  paid  by  the  United  States: 

400  linear  feet  cribs,  24  by  24J  feet,  at  $125 $50, 000- 

400  linear  feet  cribs,  24  by  22$  feet,  at  f  115 46,  OOO 

600  linear  feet  cribs,  20  by  20^  feet,  at  $85. 51, 00^ 

600  linear  feet  sheet  pile  pier,  at  $35 21, 000 

980  linear  feet  sheet  pile  revetment,  at  $24 23, 520- 


191, 52O 

Riprap,  1,560  cords,  at  $15 23, 400- 

Dredging,  188,700  cubic  yards,  at  20  cents 37, 74O 


252,  660 
Contingencies  and  superintendence 25, 266 


277,  926- 

The  cost  of  maintaining  this  part  of  the  improvement  would  be  about  $7,000  an- 
nually. 

(6)  To  be  paid  by  local  interests: 

Dredging  207,800  cubic  yards,  at  15  cents $31, 170» 

Revetment,  2,600  feet,  at  $15 39, 000- 

70, 17fr 

The  cost  of  maintaining  this  part  of  the  improvement  would  be  at 
least  $2,000  annually. 

6.  In  spite  of  the  assurances  mentioned  in  paragraph  13  of  the 
preliminary  report,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  Empire  Lumber  Com- 
pany will  be  willing  to  pay  the  cost  of  interior  improvement  which,. 
as  shown  in  5  (&),  will  amount  to  $70,170,  with  $2,000  for  annual 
maintenance.     Unless  this  leading  local  interest  will  bind  itself  in 
legally  enforceable  manner  to  create  and  maintain  the  interior  basin 
under  definite  plans  to  be  furnished  by  the  United  States  and  to- 
extend  the  use  of  all  of  the  basin  and  of  part  of  the  wharves  to  the 
general  public  free  of  charge,  no  work  whatever  should  be  done  by  the 
United  States.     Assuming,  however,  that  these  conditions  will  be 
satisfactorily  met,  it  remains  to  examine  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
commerce  which  will    be  benefited    and  from  this  examination  to 
determine  whether  the  improvement  is  economically  justifiable. 

7.  Attached  hereto  is  a  letter  from  Mr.  E.  R.  Dailey,  president  of 
the  Empire  Land  and  Improvement  Association,  which  gives  the 
water-borne  commerce  of  Empire  Harbor  for  the  calendar  year  19091 
to  include  November  6.     This  is  practically  the  entire  tonnage  for  the 
year,  but  the  shipments  of  farm  products  during  November  may  have 

H.  Doc.  831,  61-2 2 


18  LELAM)    .VXD    KAIPIHK    HARBORS,    MICHIGAN. 

been  of  appreciable  importance.     The  statistics  are,  however,  used  as 
furnished  and  are  as  follows: 

Receipts:  Tons. 

Miscellaneous  merchandise 355 

Logs !•_>.  750 

Shipments: 

Lumber 

Slabs 

Bark 

Miscellaneous  merchandise 

Farm  products 


32, 163 

7,100 

437 

130 

100 

Total 52,  835 

The  preliminary  report  shows  the  total  tonnage  of  1908  to  have 
•been  23,035  tons.  Thus  that  of  1909  is  over  twice  the  movement  of 
1908.  The  increase  is  entirely  in  forest  products,  of  which  none  were 
received  in  1908  and  only  22,137  tons  shipped.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  appears  to  be  in  1909  a  diminution  in  the  tonnage  of  merchandise 
and  farm  products.  In  any  event  the  commerce  of  this  harbor  con- 
sists at  present  almost  exclusively  of  forest  products.  The  supply  of 
such  products  is  steadily  diminishing,  the  period  of  absolute  exhaus- 
tion being  at  the  utmost  probably  not  more  than  ten  years  away. 

8.  The  total  commerce  of  Empire  Harbor  for  the  next  ten  years 
may,  as  shown  in  detail  in  the  report  of  Junior  Engineer  Smith,  be 
estimated  as  about  555,000  tons  of  freight  of  all  classes.  Most  of  this 
freight  will  move  by  water,  as  it  now  does,  even  if  the  harbor  is  not 
improved  by  the  United  States,  and  the  expenditure  of  nearly  $280,000 
by  the  United  States  will  result  therefore  in  added  convenience  to  ship- 
pers, but  probably  not  in  any  large  absolute  saving.  In  all  probability 
the  saving  due  to  the  use  of  the  improved  harbor  will,  during  the  life 
•of  the  lumber  industry,  but  little  exceed  the  cost  of  its  construction. 
Upon  the  exhaustion  of  timber  supplies  the  water  traffic  of  this  harbor 
will  then  fall  to  a  relatively  insignificant  tonnage  of  farm  produce  and 
-general  merchandise.  Just  how  much  this  will  be  is  difficult  to  say, 
but  that  it  will  exceed  3,000  to  5,000  tons  annually  is  doubtful.  A 
consideration  of  the  commercial  statistics  for  the  calendar  year  1908 
for  the  harbors  at  White  Lake,  Pentwater,  and  Arcadia  serves  to 
confirm  the  correctness  of  this  view.  The  total  receipts  and  ship- 
ments of  merchandise  and  farm  products  for  that  year  were  as  follows : 

Tons. 

White  Lake 4,  679 

Pentwater 2,  010 

Arcadia 1, 150 

The  average  for  the  three  harbors  was  less  than  3,000  tons.  The 
assumption  of  an  upper  limit  of  5,000  tons  for  Empire  will  probably 
allow  liberally  for  the  growth  of  the  next  ten  years.  Assuming  then 
that  it  may  be  3,000  to  5,000  tons  annually,  the  United  States  will 
then  be  paying  in  maintenance  charges  from  $1.40  to  over  $2  for  each 
ton  of  freight  moved. 

9-  In  view  of  the  limited  supply  of  the  material  from  which  the 
principal  traffic  of  the  harbor  is  at'present  derived  and  of  the  proba- 
bility that,  upon  the  exhaustion  of  this  resource,  the  commerce  of 
Empire  will  be  very  small  in  amount,  there  appears  to  be  no  economic 
justification  for  its  improvement  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States, 


LELAND   AND   EMPIRE    HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  19 

and  accordingly  T  report  that  the  improvement  of  Empire  Harbor  is 
not  justified  by  the  commercial  and  other  interests  involved. 
^10.  Additional  information  is  to  be  found  in  the  report  of  Junior 
Engineer  Smith  and  in  the  statement  of  the  Empire  Land  and  Im- 
provement Association,  both  of  which  follow. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

CHARLES  KELLER, 
Major,  Cori>f<  of  Engineers. 
The  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS,  U.  S.  ARMY. 
(Through  Division  Engineer.) 

[First  indorsement.] 

U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE,  LAKES  DIVISION, 

Buffalo,  A7.  V.,  January  20,  1910. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army, 
fully  concurring  in  the  views  of  the  district  officer  as  stated  in  para- 
graph 9  within. 

W.  L.  FISK, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

I  > i  rision  Knginet  r. 

[Third  indorsement.] 

BOARD  OF  ENGINEERS  FOR  RIVERS  AND  HARBORS, 

Washington,  I).  C.,  March  1 ,  1  !>!(>. 

Respectfully  returned  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army. 

As  a  result  of  recommendations  made  on  the  report  of  preliminary 
examination  of  Empire  and  Leland  harbors,  a  survey  of  the  former 
locality  was  authorized,  during  the  progress  of  which  interested 
persons  were  afforded  opportunity  to  submit  statements  to  the 
Board  in  regard  to  the  necessity  for  improvement  of  the  latter 
harbor. 

The  descriptions  of  these  harbors,  contained  in  the  report  on 
preliminary  examination  are  full  and  comprehensive,  and  the  Board 
will  therefore  confine  its  report  to  the  important  factors  bearing 
directly  upon  the  question  of  the  advisability  of  the  United  States 
undertaking  the  desired  improvements. 

EMPIRE    HARBOR. 

Empire  Harbor  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Michigan,  and 
is  about  18  miles  north  of  Frankfort  and  58  miles  south  of  Charlevoix. 
Directly  back  of  Empire  and  separated  from  it  by  a  narrow  strip 
of  land  is  South  Bar  Lake,  which  has  an  area  of  about  80  acres. 
The  improvement  desired  by  local  interests  is  the  cutting  of  a  chan- 
nel from  South  Bar  Lake  to  Lake  Michigan  and  the  construction  of 
the  necessary  piers  and  revetments  to  afford  a  protected  harbor  suit- 
able for  vessels  plying  regularly  on  Lake  Michigan.  While  two 
bridge  piers  exist,  it  is  stated  by  advocates  of  the  improvement  that 
these  afford  no  shelter  and  that  in  unfavorable  weather  vessels  can 
not  remain  tied  to  them,  and  accordingly  vessels  on  regularly  sched- 
uled trips  may  be  oblige*  1  to  pass  Empire  without  touching  there, 
with  resulting  loss  and  inconvenience  to  shippers. 


20  LELAND   AND   EMPIRE    HARBORS,    MICHIGAN. 

In  the  within  report,  the  district  officer  submits  a  plan  contem- 
plating the  construction  of  the  necessary  structures  and  the  excava- 
tion of  the  entrance  channel  by  the  United  States  at  an  estimated 
cost  of  $277,926,  with  $7,000  annually  for  maintenance,  leaving  to 
local  interests  the  dredging  of  the  interior  basin  at  an  estimated  cost 
of  $70,170  and  $2,000  annually  for  maintenance. 

The  water-borne  commerce  of  the  harbor  is  reported  as  amounting 
to  22,137  tons  in  1908,  and  52,835  in  1909  up  to  November  6.  Of 
the  latter  amount,  all  excepting  385  tons  was  lumber  or  products 
of  the  same  handled  almost  entirely  by  one  company.  The  lumber 
industry  a.t  this  place  at  present  has  not  the  requisite  importance  to 
merit  federal  expenditure  solely  in  its  behalf.  The  supply  of  timber 
available  to  the  locality  can  not  last  indefinitely,  and  while  some 
increase  in  other  commodities  may  be  expected,  there  is  no  prospect 
of  the  development  of  a  commerce  of  a  size  or  character  that  would 
justify  the  expenditure  of  the  amount  estimated  as  necessary  to 
construct  a  suitable  harbor.  The  Board  concurs  with  the  district 
officer  and  division  engineer  in  the  opinion  that  it  is  not  advisable 
for  the  United  States  to  undertake  the  improvement  of  Empire 
Harbor. 

Interested  parties  were  invited  to  submit  statements  and  argu- 
ments to  the  Board  in  relation  to  this  subject,  but  no  communica- 
tions thereon  have  been  received. 

There  are  no  questions  of  water  power  involved,  and  the  Board  is 
of  opinion  that  there  are  no  questions  of  terminal  facilities,  or  other 
related  subjects,  which  could  be  so  coordinated  with  the  project 
herein  considered  for  the  improvement  of  this  locality,  as  to  render 
the  work  advisable  in  the  interests  of  commerce  and  navigation. 

LELAND  HARBOR. 

Leland  Harbor  is  situated  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  the 
nearest  commercial  harbors  being  Frankfort,  about  42  miles  south- 
ward, and  Charlevoix,  about  35  miles  northward.  The  population 
of  the  town  is  about  300.  Its  commerce  consists  chiefly  of  lumber 
and  agricultural  products.  The  former  can  not  be  expected  to  en- 
dure many  years,  but  it  is  the  confident  belief  of  local  interests  that 
the  locality  is  destined  to  become  an  important  agricultural  center. 

The  improvement  desired  is  the  construction  of  an  outer  harbor  on 
Lake  Michigan  for  the  protection  of  existing  landing  places  and  to 
afford  a  harbor  of  refuge.  This  improvement  would  involve  the  con- 
struction of  permanent  works  at  considerable  cost,  and  could  be 
justified  only  by  the  existence  or  reasonable  assurance  of  the  develop- 
ment of  a  commerce  of  importance.  After  consideration  of  the  facts 
available,  including  a  statement  submitted  by  local  interests,  the 
Board  concurs  with  the  district  officer  and  division  engineer  in  the 
opinion  that  at  the  present  time  commercial  and  farming  interests  do 
not  appear  to  be  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  justify  the  construction 
of  an  outer  harbor  at  this  place.  Grand  Traverse  Bay  and  the  shelter 
of  the  Manitou  Islands  being  near  at  hand,  the  necessity  for  a  harbor 
of  refuge  at  Leland  is  not  apparent. 

In  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  section  13  of  the  act  of  March 
3,  1909,  the  Board  further  reports  that  none  of  the  questions  of 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  21 

terminal  facilities,  water  power,  or  other  related  subjects  have  any 
material  bearing  upon  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  this 
locality. 

For  the  Board : 

W.  C.  LANGFITT, 
Lieut.  Col.,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Senior  Member  Present. 


REPORT   OF  JUNIOR   ENGINEER   C.  W.  H.  SMITH   ON    SURVEY  OF   EMPIRE    HARBOR, 

MICHIGAN. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  January  10,  1910. 

MAJOR:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  upon  a  survey  of  Empire 
Harbor,  Mich.,  made  in  accordance  with  your  instructions: 

The  survey  was  made  October  20-November  1,  1909,  and  a  map  of  the  locality0  is 
transmitted  herewith.  Soundings  were  made  in  Lake  Michigan  sufficient  to  develop 
the  25-foot  contour  from  abreast  the  south  bridge  pier  to  abreast  the  foot  of  the  high 
bluff  about  3,800  feet  north  of  this  pier.  In  South  Bar  Lake  soundings  were  made 
from  the  lower,  or  south,  end  nearest  the  village,  as  far  north  as  Knox  Creek,  a  distance 
of  approximately  4,100  feet.  Above  Knox  Creek  no  soundings  were  made  on  account 
of  the  inaccessible  swampy  shores  and  on  account  of  the  fact  that  this  portion  of  the 
lake  is  covered  with  a  thick  mat  of  water  grasses  reaching  to  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
water  surface. 

At  the  time  of  the  survey  the  stage  of  water  in  Lake  Michigan  varied  frqm  0.9  feet 
to  1.2  feet  below  zero  of  gauge,  while  the  stage  of  water  in  South  Bar  Lake  remained 
constant  at  2.7  feet  above  zero.  This  zero  of  gauge  is  the  same  datum  as  that  used  at 
all  the  harbors  in  this  district,  and  is  at  an  elevation  of  581.63  feet  above  mean  tide  at 
New  York  City.  At  Empire  this  datum  was  established  by  taking  readings,  to  the 
water  surface  of  Lake  Michigan  from  an  arbitrary  datum,  and  afterwards  correcting 
these  readings  to  agree  with  those  of  same  dates  at  Ludington  and  Grand  Haven  harbors. 
All  soundings  on  the  map  are  referred  to  this  datum.  The  Lake  Michigan  and  South 
Bar  Lake  shore  lines,  as  shown,  are  those  at  a  stage  of  —1.3  feet  and  +2.7  feet, 
respectively. 

The  platted  portion  of  the  village,  as  shown  on  the  map,  was  copied  from  a  private 
survey  of  October,  1895. 

The  object  of  the  survey  being  that  of  ascertaining  the  cost  of  an  improvement  to 
be  proposed  for  this  locality,  I  have  outlined,  in  red,  upon  the  inclosed  map  a  tenta- 
tive plan  upon  which  to  base  an  estimate  of  probable  cost.  This  plan  contemplates 
the  creation  of  a  channel  from  deep  water  in  Lake  Michigan  to  South  Bar  Lake,  and 
the  excavating  of  an  interior  oasin  in  South  Bar  Lake  which  would  form  the  harbor 
at  Empire. 

The  piers  and  revetments  for  the  protection  of  the  entrance  channel,  as  shown,  are 
parallel  and  250  feet  apart.  The  piers  project  into  Lake  Michigan  about  1,000  feet, 
terminating  at  approximately  the  24-foot  contour,  and  together  with  the  revetments 
between  the  two  lakes  each  would  be  1,490  feet  long.  The  outer  400  feet  of  each 
pier  would  consist  of  cribs  24  feet  wide,  the  next  300  feet  of  cribs  20  feet  wide,  the 
next  300  feet  of  sheet  pile  pier  16  feet  wide,  and  the  following  490  feet  of  sheet  pile 
revetment  16  feet  wide.  All  cribs  would  rest  upon  pile  foundations  and  have  super- 
structures 6  feet  high.  The  superstructure  for  the  sheet  pile  pier  and  revetment  would 
be  4  feet  high.  The  area  between  the  piers  and  revetments  would  be  dredged  to  a 
depth  of  18  feet  below  zero  of  gauge. 

The  interior  basin,  as  shown,  extends  south  a  distance  of  1,400  feet  from  the  north 
end  of  the  wing  of  the  north  revetment  and  is  500  feet  wide  at  the  northerly  end  for 
a  length  of  450  feet,  thence  narrowing  to  200  feet  at  the  southerly  end.  It  is  planned 
that  this  basin  be  dredged  to  a  depth  of  16  feet  below  zero  of  gauge. 

It  i<  believed,  in  accordance  with  paragraph  13  of  the  report  upon  the  preliminary 
examination,  that  the  land  needed  for  the  construction  of  the  entrance  channel,  and 
in  addition  a  strip  of  land  50  feet  wide  north  of  the  north  pier  and  revetment  and  50 
feet  wide  south  of  the  south  pier  and  revetment,  should  be  deeded  to  the  United 
States  free  of  cost;  that  the  local  interests  should  do  all  the  dredging  required  for  the 


'Not  printed. 


22  LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

creation  of  the  interior  basin  and  protect  the  banks  of  the  latter  against  erosion  by 
suitable  revetments;  that  they  should  remove  the  present  railroad  structure  across 
South  Bar  Lake  and  deed  to  the  village  free  of  cost  all  land  necessary  by  a  free  wharf 
at  such  location  as  would  best  serve  the  public  interest.  The  protection  of  the  banks 
of  the  basin  seems  necessary,  as  it  is  apprehended  that  during  westerly  storms  the 
agitation  of  the  sea  will  extend  to  the  basin,  and  if  allowed  to  attack  unprotected 
banks  the  maintenance  of  the  required  depth  of  water  would  be  greatly  interfered 
with,  if  not  impossible. 

The  part  of  the  improvement  remaining  to  be  provided  for  by  the  United  States 
would  then  be  the  construction  of  the  piers  and  revetments  to  South  Bar  Lake  and  the 
dredging  between  them,  for  which  the  following  is  an  estimate  of  the  probable  cost: 

400  linear  feet  cribwork  24  by  24J  feet,  at  $125 $50,  000 

400  linear  feet  cribwork  24  by  22J  feet,  at  $115 46, 000 

600  linear  feet  cribwork  20  by  20J  feet,  at  $85 51, 000 

600  linear  feet  sheet-pile  pier,  at  $35 21, 000 

980  linear  feet  sheet-pile  revetment,  at  $24 23,  520 

191,  520 

Riprap  stone,  1,560  cords,  at  $15 23,  400 

Dredging,  188,700  cubic  yards,  at  20  cents. . . , 37,  740 

252,  660 
Add  10  per  cent  for  contingencies  and  superintendence 25,  266 


Total 277.  926 

in  addition  there  would  probably  be  required  not  less  than  $7,000  annually  for 
dredging  and  repair  of  the  piers  and  revetments. 

The  amount  of  work  that  it  is  expected  would  be  cared  for  by  local  interests  is  as 
follows : 

Dredging  in  the  basin cubic  yards. .  207,  800 

Shore  protection  of  the  basin linear  feet. .       2,  600 

The  water-borne  commerce  to  and  from  Empire  piers  for  the  first  ten  months  of  the 
calendar  year  1909,  as  furnished  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Dailey,  is  as  follows: 

Receipts:  Tons. 

Miscellaneous  merchandise 155 

Logs.. 12,750 

Shipments: 

Lumber 32, 163 

Slabs 7,100 

Bark 437 

Miscellaneous  merchandise 130 

Farm  products 100 


Total 52,  835 

Comparing  the  above  tonnage  with  that  for  the  calendar  year  1908,  which  is  stated 
in  the  preliminary  report  as  23,035  tons,  it  is  evident  that  the  lake  commerce  for  1909 
is  more  than  double  that  for  1908.  This  increase  is  shown  to  be  entirely  in  forest 
products,  and  is  due,  doubtless,  to  the  importation  of  logs  by  vessel.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  amount  of  merchandise  and  farm  products  appears  to  have  decreased,  how- 
ever, since  the  above  report  for  1909  does  not  include  any  receipts  or  shipments  for 
the  last  two  months  of  the  year.  It  is  possible  that  November  shipments  of  apples  and 
potatoes  would  aid  in  making  a  better  showing 

It  is  plain  that  the  main  source  of  vessel  tonnage  at  this  harbor  is  from  the  lumber- 
ing industry.  The  life  of  this  industry,  at  Empire,  computed  from  the  amount  of 
standing  timber  now  owned  by  the  Empire  Lumber  Company,  is  estimated  at  from 
eight  to  ten  years. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  lumber  industry  in  Michigan  is  moving  northward 
each  year  and  unless  some  means  is  devised  to  secure,  cheaply,  a  supply  of  logs  from 
northern  points,  it  is  only  a  matter  of  a  few  years  when  all  the  sawmills  will  disappear 
from  the  lower  Michigan  peninsula.  This  problem  the  Empire  Lumber  Company 
claim  to  have  solved  by  their  venture,  during  the  past  summer,  of  bringing  logs  from 
the  North  Manitou  Island,  as  explained  in  paragraph  4  of  the  preliminary  report, 
and  it  is  further  claimed  that  a  harbor  at  Empire  would  warrant  them  in  making  addi- 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  25 

tioual  purchases  of  timber  at  northern  points,  all  of  which  would  be  brought  here- 
for  manufacture  into  lumber,  and  thus  increase  the  life  of  their  mill  many  years 
beyond  the  figures  given  above. 

As  an  estimate  of  the  maximum  amount  of  vessel  commerce  in  .sight  for  the  next 
ten  years  the  following  is  submitted: 

Receipts:  Tons. 

Logs,  55,000,000  feet  b.  m a  330, 000  • 

Miscellaneous  merchandise 65, 000  • 

Shipments: 

Lumber,  slabs,  and  bark c  200, 000  • 

Miscellaneous  merchandise  and  farm  products 6  20, 000  > 

Total 555,000, 

The  amount  saved  in  freight  charges,  by  virtue  of  a  water  route,  on  the  above  ton- 
nage is  estimated  as  follows: 

4,000,000  hundredweight  of  lumber,  at  12  cents  per  hundredweight $480, 000 

500,000  hundredweight  of  miscellaneous  merchandise  and  farm  products, 
at  7  cents  per  hundredweight 35, 000 

Total 515, 000 

No  saving  is  estimated  on  the  importation  of  logs,  as  these  must  necessarily  be 
brought  in  by  vessel.  The  saving  on  the  lumber,  merchandise,  and  farm  products  is 
based  upon  the  difference  between  the  rail  and  water  rates  between  Empire  and 
Chicago. 

Upon  my  arrival  at  Empire  to  make  the  survey  I  found  the  parties  most  interested 
in  the  establishment  of  a  harbor  at  tins  point  in  possession  of  a  copy  of  the  report  on  the 
preliminary  examination.  After  the  discussion  of  a  few  points  to  which  they  took 
exception,  I  requested  that  they  submit  in  writing  any  objections  they  might  have  to- 
any  parts  of  the  report,  and  the  result  of  this  request  is  the  inclosed  letter  from  the 
Empire  Land  and  Improvement  Association,  under  date  of  November  8,  1909,  to 
which  attention  is  invited. 

In  connection  with  this  report  I  desire  to  say  that  the  cost  of  improving  the  wagon 
road  from  Empire  to  Frankfort  was  estimated,  by  one  of  the  road  commissioners  of 
Manistee  County,  a  man  of  considerable  experience  in  this  line,  although  not  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  country  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Empire,  at  about  $3,000  per 
mile,  which,  for  the  21  miles,  would  make  a  total  of  $63,000.  He  also  estimated  the 
cost  of  yearly  maintenance  at  $25  per  mile.  On  Sunday,  October  24, 1  took  a  drive 
over  this  road  to  a  point  about  12  miles  southeast  of  Empire  and  found  the  condition* 
substantially  as  stated  in  the  inclosed  letter. 

CONCLUSION. 

From  the  above  it  appears  that  the  annual  vessel  commerce  that  might  be  expected 
for  the  next  ten  years  is  55,500  tons.  Three  years  would  doubtless  lapse  before  a 
harbor  would  be  of  service,  and  thus  this  amount  of  vessel  commerce,  as  far  as  can  be 
foreseen  at  the  present  time,  would  continue  for  a  period  not  to  exceed  seven  years. 
It  may  then  be  assumed  that,  at  the  expiration  of  seven  years,  the  water-borne  com- 
merce will  not  exceed  the  very  liberal  estimate  of  7,000  tons  per  year.  This  tonnage, 
compared  with  the  estimated  annual  maintenance  cost  of  $7,000  per  year,  shows 
that  the  annual  expenditure  for  maintenance,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  will 
be  $1  per  year  per  Ion  of  vessel  freight. 

If  the  lumbering  industry  shoula  continue  to  be  permanent,  as  the  local  interest* 
claim  it  will  do,  or  should  other  industries  of  equal  value  supplant  it,  of  which  there 
is  no  indication  at  this  time,  an  annual  vessel  commerce  of  50,000  tons  to  begin  with 
might  be  figured  on,  and  this  would,  in  my  opinion,  warrant  the  United  States  in 
undertaking  the  construction  of  a  harbor  at  Empire.  Otherwise,  it  is  believed  that 

a  Computed  for  green  hard-wood  logs  at  12,000  pounds  per  thousand  feet  b.  m. 

6  These  items  take  into  consideration  the  future  development  of  the  neighboring 
country,  and  the  tonnage  given  is  believed  to  be  a  very  liberal  estimate. 

c  Computed  for  80,000, 000  feet  b.  m.  of  hard-wood  lumber  partly  seasoned,  at  5,000' 
pounds  per  thousand  feet  b.  in.     As  some  of  the  lumber  would  doubtless  be  hemlock 
and  shipped   by  rail  it   is  assumed    that   the  deficiency  would  be  counterbalanced 
by  the  slabs  and  bark  that  would  be  shipped  by  water. 


24  LELAND   AND  EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

the  expenditure  of  the  large  sum  necessary  to  create  a  harbor  at  this  point  would  not 
be  justifiable. 

The  terminal  and  transfer  facilities  now  offered  are  confined  to  the  two  bridge  piers 
belonging  to  the  Empire  Lumber  Company,  and  during  the  life  of  these  piers  they 
have  been  open  to  the  public  free  of  charge.  These  piers  would,  of  course,  cease  to 
be  made  use  of  upon  the  completion  of  a  new  harbor,  such  as  contemplated,  and  new 
iacilities  for  the  handling  of  freight  would  have  to  be  provided. 
Very  respectfully, 

C.  W.  H.  SMITH, 

Junior  Engineer. 
Maj.  CHAS.  KELLER, 

Corps  of  Engineers,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 


LETTER  OF  EMPIRE  LAND  AND  IMPROVEMENT  ASSOCIATION. 

•  Accepting  the  invitation  of  Mr.  C.  W.  H.  Smith,  junior  engineer,  to  criticise  or 
correct  in  any  manner  the  report  made  from  the  United  States  Engineer  Office  to 
Washington,  dated  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  September  22,  1909,  we  submit  the  follow- 
ing objections  and  statement  of  facts: 

In  the  first  place,  the  report  as  a  whole  is  a  statement  of  facts  only,  based  on  a  con- 
servative estimate,  but  in  article  No.  10  it  reads  as  follows:  "  It  should  be  noted  that 
most  of  the  above  articles,  in  spite  of  the  absence  of  a  harbor,  are  now  actually  shipped 
by  water,  and  that  the  total  saving  is  also  largely  actual,"  which  is  correct  under  the 
present  conditions,  but  it  would  be  safe  to  estimate  that  the  shipment  of  fruit  and 
farm  products  by  water  would  have  been  increased  2,000  tons  could  we  have  got  boats 
for  this  point  during  the  time  of  shipment,  and  we  are  positive  that  with  a  harbor 
making  it  an  easy  and  sure  matter  of  getting  boats  that  there  would  be  a  great  increase 
in  the  shipment  of  farm  products,  as  not  more  than  30  per  cent  of  our  lands  are  now 
under  cultivation,  but  would  be  rapidly  cleared  up  and  set  out  to  fruit  and  used  for 
other  farm  purposes. 

In  article  No.  15,  report  says:  "On  the  other  hand,  much,  if  not  all  of  the  anticipated 
increased  commerce  would  eventually  come,"  though  perhaps  more  slowly,  even 
though  the  harbor  were  not  provided  and  relatively  as  much  of  this  increase  as  of  the 
existing  commerce  would  probably  use  the  somewhat  uncertain  water  route,  so  that 
the  saving  due  to  the  provision  of  a  safe  and  deep  harbor  would  in  the  end  be  but 
small."  This  we  shall  have  to  take  exceptions  to,  giving  the  following  reasons:  We 
have  back  of  us  and  adjacent  to  this  prospective  harbor  35,000  to  40.000  acres  of  cut- 
over  lands,  all  excellent  fruit  and  farming  lands,  awaiting  the  settler,  at  prices  lower 
than  such  lands  can  be  purchased  for  anywhere  else  in  the  United  States;  we  also  have 
many  thousand  acres  of  standing  timber,  which  is  being  gradually  cut  off  every  year 
and  thereby  adding  to  the  inventory  of  said  cut  lands;  we  are  pushing  advertising  of 
different  kinds  and  nature  to  induce  the  settler  to  come  to  us.  One  of  the  first  in- 
quiries he  makes  is,  Have  you  water  shipments?  When  he  sees  the  true  condition  that 
after  the  crops  are  harvested  it  is  so  late  in  the  season  of  navigation  that  boats  could 
not  land  regularly  at  bridge  piers,  there  is  no  other  way  of  shipment  except  to  pay  the 
high  railroad  rates,  and  consequently  the  sale  of  lands  and  settling  up  of  the  country 
is  very  slow;  in  fact  at  almost  a  standstill  for  lack  of  better  shipping  facilities.  We 
have  the  finest  fruit  and  general  farming  lands  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  A  harbor 
here  would  insure  the  quick  and  rapid  development  of  this  country,  which  otherwise 
would  drag  along  very  slowly  for  want  of  better  shipping  facilities,  which  would 
•depend  on  the  action  of  our  Government 

.  As  to  the  road  to  Frankfort,  this  would  be  no  help  at  all  to  any  of  this  territory 
that  is  included  in  our  statement  and  that  would  be  benefited  by  a  harbor  here,  as 
this  road  would  cost  to  build  not  less  than  $75,000,  and  8  miles  of  it  would  go  through 
a  pine  plains  desert  where  nothing  at  all  is  raised  or  manufactured.  This  would  be 
through  the  township  of  Lake,  in  Benzie  County,  which  township  was  not  included  in 
the  territory  tributary  to  Empire,  although  the  northern  part  of  this  township  adjoins 
Empire  and  is  much  nearer  here  than  it  is  to  Frankfort,  and  this  is  the  only  part  that 
has  any  good  fruit  or  farming  land  in  it.  The  balance  is  mostly  government  and  state 
tax  lands,  which  has  gone  back  to  the  State  for  nonpayment  of  taxes  after  the  little 
timber  was  taken  off,  and  a  road  built  as  suggested  would  not  benefit  any  of  the  terri- 
tory mentioned  in  the  report  heretofore  referred  to  in  this  bill  of  exceptions.  Aside 
from  this  fact,  even  if  the  road  were  built  at  the  low  and  conservative  estimate  for  21 
miles,  such  road  would  be  entirely  useless  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  would  be 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE    HARBORS,   MICHIGAN.  25 

intended,  as  a  good  heavy  team  could  not  haul  on  an  average  more  than  3,000 
pounds,  and  it  would  take  two  days  to  make  a  trip,  which  would  cost  at  the  very 
lowest  estimate  from  10  to  15  cents  per  bushel  for  all  farm  produce  that  goes  in  sixth- 
class  freight,  which  said  class  of  freight  predominates  in  farm  products.  This  would 
be  double  the  amount  that  it  would  cost  to  ship  the  same  class  of  freight  from  Empire 
to  Chicago  or  any  Lake  Michigan  markets  and  would  also  be  double  the  cost  of  ship- 
ping from  Empire  to  Frankfort  by  rail  under  the  present  conditions,  which  is  over 
three  railroads  and  a  distance  of  about  80  miles.  Now,  we  have  looked  up  this  matter 
thoroughly,  and  we  find  that  from  Manistee  to  Bear  Lake  is  a  distance  of  about  18 
miles,  and  they  have  a  first-class  road  built  by  the  State  of  Michigan  at  a  cost  of  $3,000 
or  $4,000  per  mile.  The  village  of  Bear  Lake  and  surrounding  country  has  no  railroad 
at  the  present  time  nearer  than  8  miles,  which  is  Chief  Lake  Station,  on  the  Manistee 
and  Northeastern  road,  or  Norwalk,  on  the  same  line.  We  have  made  a  thorough 
investigation  and  find  that  the  people  of  Bear  Lake  do  not  haul  any  fruit  or  farm 
produce  to  Manistee  for  shipment,  as  it  is  cheaper  to  haul  it  the  8  miles  to  railroad 
and  ship  that  way,  even  at  the  high  freight  rate.  So  this,  we  think,  should  do  away 
with  the  idea  of  a  wagon  road  to  Frankfort  being  of  any  benefit  to  this  territory. 

As  this  is  all  the  objection  we  can  make  to  the  report,  we  will  now  try  and  show 
why  Empire  and  Leelanau  County  is  entitled  to  a  harbor. 

In  the  first  place,  Leelanau  County  has  no  harbor  which  is  maintained  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, only  those  provided  by  nature,  such  as  South  Manitou  Island  and  Grand 
Traverse  Bay,  said  bay  being  frozen  over  for  a  large  portion  of  the  year. 

In  the  second  place,  Empire  is  the  most  feasible  place  to  build  a  harbor  for  the 
following  reasons:  We  have  an  inland  lake  of  sufficient  area  to  accommodate  a  large 
number  of  boats  which  can  at  any  time  be  made  much  larger  by  dredging,  as  the  bottom 
where  the  water  is  shoal,  as  well  as  elsewhere  all  over  the  lake,  is  composed  of  very 
soft  marl  and  mud,  which  can  be  pumped  out  at  very  low  cost.  This  lake  is  only 
separated  from  Lake  Michigan  by  a  very  narrow  strip  of  sand  beach,  with  good  deep 
water  all  along  the  coast  of  Lake  Michigan  at  a  reasonable  distance  from  shore.  Now, 
all  these  favorable  conditions  do  not  exist  at  any  other  point  along  this  coast  where  a 
harbor  is  needed.  Then,  again,  all  the  surrounding  country  which  would  be  benefited 
by  a  harbor  here  is  so  located  that  this  is  the  natural  outlet,  for  the  reason  that  Empire 
village,  as  well  as  the  proposed  harbor  site,  is  located  in  a  large  basin  slightly  above 
the  level  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  surrounding  country  descends 
toward  the  proposed  harbor  site;  and  you  will  see  by  the  map  that  we  sent  you  that 
Glen  Lake,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  summer  resorts  in  northern  Michigan,  lies  4^ 
miles  northeast  of  Empire.  This  lake  is  about  20  feet  above  the  level  of  Lake  Michigan . 

Four  years  ago  this  lake  was  hardly  known  as  a  summer  resort,  while  during  this 
last  season  of  1909  there  were  at  least  350  to  400  people  patronized  it  during  the  resort 
season.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  80  per  cent  of  these  people  are  residents  of  Chicago, 
and  came  here  by  boat,  landing  at  Glen  Haven,  where  there  is  no  harbor,  and  a  num- 
ber of  times  during  the  summer  those  people  were  carried  by  on  account  of  bad 
weather,  so  boats  could  not  land  at  Glen  Haven,  and  were  taken  to  Charlevoix  or 
Petoskey  and  had  to  return  on  southbound  boats  to  Glen  Haven  or  by  rail  to  Empire, 
which  certainly  is  a  great  inconvenience.  We  do  not  make  this  statement  with  the 
idea  that  the  Government  would  build  a  harbor  to  accommodate  the  resort  business. 
but  this,  together  with  the  large  amount  of  incoming  and  outgoing  freight  which 
we  have  shown  to  have  been  handled  here  already  with  only  the  poor  facilities  thai 
we  have  and  the  great  increase  that  would  result  from  the  construction  of  a  good 
harbor  here,  together  with  safety  and  convenience  to  navigation,  entitles  us  to  con- 
sideration. 

We  also  wish  to  give  you  another  reason  why  we  think  that  a  harbor  should  be 
built  at  Empire:  First,  that  the  main  course  of  Lake  Michigan  traffic  that  goes 
through  the  Straits  of  Mackinac  passes  between  the  South  Manitou  Island  and  Sleep- 
ing Bear  Point,  which  brings  them  on  a  course  about  4  miles  west  of  Empire;  that  is, 
all  boats  bound  to  or  from  west-shore  points  to  or  from  east-shore  points  they  would 
not  necessarily  keep  so  far  out.  This  would  make  it  very  convenient  for  freight 
and  passenger  boats  going  either  way  to  stop  here  to  discharge  or  receive  passengers 
or  freight,  and  in  reality  all  the  freight  now  shipped  to  or  from  west-shore  points  to 
or  from  Traverse  City  and  vicinity  could  be  handled  and  transferred  here  by  rail 
and  a  great  saving  made  in  time  as  well  as  distance,  as  the  distance  by  water  from 
here  to  Traverse  City  is  about  90  miles,  and  we  are  that  much  nearer  Chicago,  which 
is  our  best  and  largest  market,  while  the  distance  from  Empire  to  Traverse  City  In- 
land route  is  only  24  miles.  This  would  mean  a  big  saving  in  time  of  getting  the 
big  fruit  crop  of  that  region  to  markel,  even  if  they  had  a  !><>ai  ninnm-i  direet  from 
Traverse  City  to  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan";  but  where  they  expert  t..  ship 
by  a  regular  line  of  boats  there  would  be  a  greater  saving  in  time,  as  a  boat  running 


448731 


26  LELAND  AND  EMPIRE    HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

from  the  straits  on  her  regular  course  south  would  arrive  at  Empire  as  soon  as  they 
could  at  Traverse  City  and  would  be  90  miles  nearer  Chicago,  as  the  regular  course 
of  through  boat  lines  is  44  miles  north  of  Traverse  City. 

In  stopping  there  with  regular  boate  the  extra  run  in  and  out-of  the  bay  would  be 
88  miles,  which  is  more  than  one-third  the  distance  from  Traverse  City  to  Chicago 
by  using  railroad  to  Empire  and  boat  from  there  to  Chicago,  as  this  total  distance  is 
241  miles — 24  miles  of  railroad  to  Empire  and  217  miles  from  Empire  to  Chicago  by 
boat — and  this  same  advantage  would  apply  to  all  ports  or  markets  on  the  west  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  and  also  all  Lake  Superior  points,  as  this  would  be  the  nearest 
harbor  to  the  regular  route  of  all  boats  going  through  the  straits  on  the  east  shore 
south  of  Mackinac  City,  and  all  that  northern  country  is  surely  a  good  outlet;  in  fact, 
Duluth  and  Ashland,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Marquette,  Houghton,  and  Hancock,  and  all 
other  Lake  Superior  towns  would  be  good  markets  for  our  products;  but  owing  to  the 
high  railroad  rates  and  the  fact  that  we  had  no  harbor  so  that  boate  could  stop  here 
we  have  been  prohibited  from  shipping  any  of  our  produce  that  way.  We  should 
also  like  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  years  past  there  has  been  a  good 
many  accidents  and  wrecks  near  here  and  Sleeping  Bear  Point,  and  mostly  caused 
by  heavy  west  and  northwest  winds.  This  we  account  for  as  follows:  That  the  only 
place  of  shelter  near  here  is  South  Manitou  Harbor,  and  sometimes  this  is  very  hard 
to  make  with  heavy  west  to  northwest  winds.  The  Government  has  a  life-saving 
station  at  Sleeping  Bear  Point,  which  is  about  8  miles  north  of  Empire  and  about 
halfway  between  the  proposed  harbor  at  Empire  and  the  South  Manitou  life-saving 
station,  so  our  claim  is  that  a  harbor  at  Empire  would  be  a  great  convenience  in  sav- 
ing life  and  property,  as  it  would  supply  a  safe  landing  place  for  disabled  boats  or 
rescued  passengers  or  crews  that  were  unable  to  reach  the  South  Manitou  Harbor. 

Another  claim  that  we  make  is  that  both  the  South  and  North  Manitou  islands 
should  have  a  safe  harbor  to  go  to  in  their  communication  with  the  mainland,  and 
that  Empire  is  the  best  location  to  furnish  this  accommodation.  The  North  Manitou 
Island  contains  about  15,000  acres  of  good  fanning  and  fruit  lands.  About  half  of 
this  is  cleared  and  is  now  being  used  for  fanning  and  fruit-raising  purposes.  The 
other  half  is  heavily  timbered,  estimated  at  about  100,000,000  feet  board  measure. 
About  half  of  this  timber  is  being  manufactured  into  lumber  at  the  island  and  the 
other  half  is  sold  to  the  Empire  Lumber  Company,  to  come  here  to  Empire  to  be 
manufactured  into  lumber  for  shipment  to  Chicago  by  water,  and  the  logs  are  all 
brought  here  by  boat.  The  population  of  this  island  is  about  300  people.  The  South 
Manitou  Island  contains  about  7,000  acres,  which  is  the  same  quality  of  land  as  the 
north  island,  with  about  1,500  acres  of  good  timber  (about  10,000,000  feet)  which 
we  expect  will  be  brought  here  for  manufacture  and  shipment,  as  there  are  no  mills 
on  that  island.  The  balance  of  the  lands  are  mostly  used,  for  farming,  fruit  growing, 
and  stock  raising.  The  population  is  75  to  100  people.  Both  of  those  islands  receive 
their  mail  and  other  supplies  now  from  Leland  and  Glen  Haven,  where  there  is  no 
harbor,  and  at  times  they  are  without  communication  for  weeks  at  a  time. 

The  following  fact?  and  reasons,  together  with  the  fact  that  all  the  business  men 
and  inhabitants  of  Empire  and  all  surrounding  country  show  a  willingness  to  assist 
the  Government  in  every  way  possible  to  secure  this  harbor,  and  the  property  owners 
are  willing  to  furnish  free  of  charge  all  lands  necessary  for  the  construction  of  govern- 
ment piers  and  channel  between  Lake  Michigan  and  South  Bar  Lake  and  also  land  for 
a  public  dock  inside,  we  think  entitles  us  to  the  right  to  ask  our  government  officials 
to  give  the  matter  a  thorough  investigation  and  consideration,  and  we  feel  that  there 
can  be  no  question  as  to  the  outcome. 

Trusting  that  our  representations  and  requests  may  be  looked  on  with  approval,  we 
remain, 

Yours,  most  respectfully. 

EMPIRE  LAND  AND  IMPROVEMENT  ASSOCIATION, 
By  E.  R.  DAILEY,  President, 

A.  E.  WILT.ARD,  Secretary.        " 


LETTER    OF    EMPIRE    LAND    AND    IMPROVEMENT   ASSOCIATION. 

EMPIRE,  MICH.,  November  6,  19<)<>. 

DEAR  SIR:  Replying  to  your  request,  we  hereby  submit  a  report  of  the  arrivals  and 
departures  of  boats  at  Empire  during  the  season  of  1901*  to  date,  also  tonnage  shipped 
in  and  out,  both  by  rail  and  water.  These  figures  are  actual,  and  we  trust  that  they 
will  fill  your  requirements: 


LELAND  AND   EMPIRE   HAEBOES,   MICHIGAN.  27 

Water  shipments. 

Steam  barge  Edward  F.  Buckley,  40  trips  to  Chicago;  2  trips  to  Michigan  City. 

Steam  barge  0.  E.  Parks,  1  trip  to  Detroit  and  Toledo. 

Steam  barge  S.  K.  Martin,  1  trip  to  Tonawanda,  N.  Y. 

Schooner  Petril,  1  trip  to  Sheboygan,  Wis. 

Schooner  /.  H.  Stevens,  31  trips  to  Sheboygan,  Wis. 

Steam  barge  Edward  F.  Buckley,  33  trips  from  North  Manitou  Island. 

Steam  barge  /.  D.  Marshall,  1  trip  from  Chicago  and  Manistee. 

Steam  barge  /.  S.  Crouse,  3  trips  with  merchandise;  1  trip  light. 

P.  M.  steamer  No.  6,  3  excursions  in  and  1  out. 

Gasoline  launches,  numerous  trips  in  and  out  to  Manitou  Islands. 

Tonnage  by  water. 

Received:                                            Tons.   ,  Shipped  out:  Tons. 

Merchandise 155  |          Lumber 32,163 

Logs 12,750            Slabs 7,100 

Bark 437 

Merchandise 130 

Farm  produce 100 

Total 12,905  I  Total 39,930 

Following  we  give  you  the  railroad  tonnage  in  and  out  for  the  past  fifteen  months, 
commencing  July  1,  1908,  to  November  1,  1909.  This  we  give  you,  as  the  railroad 
agent  had  it  all  figured  exactly  for  that  period  for  the  state  railroad  commission,  and 
this  saved  us  going  all  over  the  shipments  again  for  just  the  present  year.  We  find 
that  it  averages  pretty  well,  month  for  month,  so  that  if  you  take  one-fifteenth  of 
the  total  and  multiply  it  by  any  desired  number  of  months  you  will  get  it  about 
as  correct  as  we  could  give  it  to  you  after  doing  a  lot  of  hard  figuring. 

Tonnage  by  rail. 

Received:                                            Tons,  i  Shipped  out:  Tons. 

Bark 17  |          Grain 492 


Logs 45, 413 

Cooperage  stock 66 

Coal 1,558 

Grain 15 

Lumber 25 

Farm  products 150 

Merchandise 1,609 


Total 48,853 


Lumber 2, 880 

Farm  products 843 

Livestock 29 

Slabs  and  fuel 1, 655 


Total 5,1 


Summary. 

Tons. 
Tonnage  received  by  water  ...............................................     12,  905 

Tonnage  received  by  rail  ...............................................     48,  853 


Total  received  ....................................................     61,  758 


Tonnage  shipped  by  water  ................................................     39,930 


Total  shipped  out  ........................................   .........     45,829 

Total  tonnage  in  and  out  ...........................................  107,  687 

Rail  tonnage  in  and  out  for  twelve  months,  November  1,  1908,  to  November 
1,1909  ................................................................     46,829 

Water  tonnage  in  and  out  for  season  1909  ...................................     52,  835 

Total...  .     98,664 


28  LELAND   AND   EMPIRE   HARBORS,   MICHIGAN. 

You  also  asked  for  the'railroad  rates  from  Empire  to  Frankfort  and  from  Frankfort 
to  Chicago,  all  rail,  which  is  as  follows: 


Class. 

Empire  to 
Frankfort. 

Frankfort 
to  Chicago. 

Cents. 

Cents. 

First 

25 

49 

Second  

20 

42 

Third 

16 

32 

Fourth  

12 

22 

Fifth.                            ...                                  .          ...:.....-.  

10 

18 

Sixth 

H 

13 

,,  .;•  Yours,  truly, 
EMPIRE  LAND  AND  IMPROVEMENT  ASSOCIATION, 

By  E.  R.  DAILEY,  President. 

Mr.  0.  W.  H.  SMITH, 

U.  S.  Engineer  Office,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

:    :.              <         '  ' 

0 

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